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1917 Map of Xenia

Name: 1917 Topographic Map of Xenia
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1934
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1934

About this map

Xenia serves as the bustling regional hub of this Greene County landscape, where the confluence of major rail lines like the Pittsburgh Cincinnati Chicago and St Louis RR and the Springfield and Little Miami RR dictated the pace of commerce during the early twentieth century. The map reveals a high density of public institutions and educational sites, most notably Wilberforce University and the extensive Soldiers and Sailors Orphans Home on the city's outskirts.

Beyond the urban center, a network of rural schools and small settlements such as Paintersville and Cedarville are connected by historical thoroughfares like Military Road and Federal Road. This era was defined by a highly decentralized social structure, evidenced by the numerous named schoolhouses—including the Caesar Creek High School and Oldtown Creek School—located every few miles to serve the surrounding agricultural families. The terrain is deeply etched by the Little Miami River and its many tributaries, such as Caesar Creek, which provided the drainage and water source for the region's farms and the Xenia Water Works.