1977 Map of Wittenburg

About this map

Wittenberg and the surrounding Somerset County highlands appear in high contrast in this late-1970s orthophotomap. The imagery reveals a landscape defined by contour farming and strip cropping, where light-toned agricultural ribbons follow the natural curvature of the ridges. This pattern of land use, managed in cooperation with the Soil Conservation Service, highlights the era's focus on erosion control in the Appalachian foothills. The small settlement of Philson and the village of Wittenberg are visible as modest clusters amidst this mosaic of private woodlots and tilled fields. Deeply incised valleys, particularly those carved by Wills Creek, dictate the movement of roads and rail lines through the terrain, illustrating how the physical geography of southern Pennsylvania continued to shape rural settlement and transportation late into the twentieth century.