1952 Map of Windrock

About this map

Windrock Fields sit atop the high ridges of Walden Ridge, overlooking a landscape defined by the intersection of coal mining and early atomic-age development in the early 1950s. The settlement of Oliver Springs serves as a central hub where the Southern and Louisville and Nashville railroads converge, facilitating the movement of local resources. To the south, the extensive footprint of the U S Atomic Energy Commission (Oak Ridge Area) contrasts with the traditional rural life found in Dutch Valley and Frost Bottom. Numerous family cemeteries, such as Grave Hill Cemetery and Hackworth Cemetery, alongside rural congregations like Indian Creek Church, highlight the deep-rooted genealogical history of this mountain region. The transition from industrial mining at Upper Windrock to the growing suburban infrastructure of Oak Ridge is clearly visible as the region's economy shifted.