Taking the Long Way Home (and Ignoring Google Maps)

I’ve been on the road quite a bit in the last two weeks, from Harlan County to McCracken County – and my blog has suffered as a result. Most of my posts require some bit of research, and even if I am able to accomplish that online, the time required to write something that satisfies me can be considerable, since I am carving it out of the hours when I am awake and not working, and my almost two year old is asleep. Although I strive to differentiate between my “day job” and this site, there isn’t really much separation, since everything revolves around historic buildings, the thrill of discovery, and the stories of everyday people. And getting there constitutes  a large part of the unfolding story.

I started surveying historic resources before smart phones infiltrated every aspect of our lives. Handheld GPS units were available to mark down the coordinates of a location, but I didn’t (and still don’t) use the maps on those devices for navigation. I carried large quad maps, and my fieldwork partner (if I were lucky enough to have someone else along) and I would use these to find our way – and more importantly – to find historic buildings!

What is a quad(rangle) map? A topographic quadrangle map displays contour lines to show the shape of the earth’s surface. USGS topographic maps “also show many other kinds of geographic features, including roads, railroads, rivers, streams, lakes, buildings, built-up areas, boundaries, place or feature names, mountains, elevations, survey control points, vegetation types, and much more.”*

Once you get the hang of it, reading a USGS topo map is easy! Solid squares indicate a building that is inhabited and used by people, that dates to or before the publication of the map. Clear squares, with just a black outline, are outbuildings – usually barns. Schools, churches, and cemeteries are common notations on quad maps in rural areas.

I don’t get the opportunity to do many large-scale surveys these days – so I usually just carry a small section (8.5 X 11) of a quad map with me, and of course, I have my Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer to help guide me. In a pinch, if I have a cell signal, I can use my phone – not to be told where to go, but to look at road maps.

I always try and enter a town by its main artery – or at least, what the main artery used to be prior to the construction of Interstates and bypasses. US 60 forms the Main Street in many communities across Kentucky. Once I locate the central business district, I’ll scout out the historic residential areas, which usually radiate out from the heart of the downtown. Then, I’ll stretch my legs, two cameras in hand, as I walk and photograph and explore.

Depending on the time of day, I’ll choose a circuitous route back home, one that should take me through many small, almost forgotten hamlets. I’ll take photographs as time allows (sometimes just from the car – if you see a state car with its hazards on in the middle of the road – it may be me!) and jot down a few notes for later investigation.

If the afternoon has waned while I’ve been distracted by new places, I’ll choose a speedier route home – but my mind will be turning over all that I’ve seen, and the roads I did not take…and I’m making plans for another long way home.

 

*https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-a-topographic-map