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Landowners map of Davidson County (approximately 1870)

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@ Tennessee State Library & Archives

Description

This extremely detailed hand-drawn map of Davidson County focuses on waterways and names land and property owners along them. The Edgefield and Kentucky Railroad can be seen running up through Madison Station (later called just Madison). Civil districts are labeled in pencil. Certain sections of the map were not inked and it appears the map was prepared in sections, with the top half having been turned upside down for easier access. Certain neighborhoods or towns are named, as well as tolls, mills, churches, and schools, including a "Colored Childrens School," located in the Hardscuffle community. The red lines represent roads, while the black lines represent waterways. This map is likely a draft by Davidson County surveyor Wilbur Foster or someone working under his supervision, as it mirrors closely--though not entirely--his 1871 published color map of the county. There are slight differences between the two maps in the data recorded.This is one of the earliest maps of Davidson County that names property owners as well as various churches, public buildings and institutions. It is believed this may have been the precursor to Wilbur Foster's 1871 color map of Davidson County Tennessee (Map 2552), since the data and its placement match so closely to that map commissioned by the county court. The chief value of this map comes from the location of landowner's names, churches, and schools in post-Civil War Davidson County.

Record Contributed By

Tennessee State Library & Archives

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Tennessee