Mapping industrialization: Railroads and factories

I created these maps for LEARN NC as part of a unit on industrialization in North Carolina to show why factories were built where they were. The map showing the location of textile mills was used in an exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of History in 2011.

The counties in each map are drawn with present-day boundaries for reference. Click any map for a larger version.

Factories

tobacco mills in North Carolina, 1896
Locations of tobacco mills in North Carolina, 1896.
textile mills in North Carolina, 1896
Locations of textile mills in North Carolina, 1896.

Railroads

railroads in North Carolina, 1860

railroads in North Carolina, 1896

Railroads in North Carolina, 1860 (top) and 1896.

Factories and railroads

tobacco mills and railroads in North Carolina, 1896

textile mills and railroads in North Carolina, 1896

Locations of tobacco (top) and textile mills in relation to railroads, 1896.

Maps on this page were originally published by LEARN NC and are licensed under a Creative Commons license (CC-BY-ND).