Gettysburg North (PA) Quadrangle

Gettysburg North (PA) Quadrangle
Name	Gettysburg North (PA) Quadrangle
Type	USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle
Location	Adams County, Pennsylvania
Topo	United States Geological Survey
Scale	1:24,000

Gettysburg North (PA) Quadrangle The Gettysburg North (PA) Quadrangle is a United States Geological Survey 7.5-minute topographic map covering the northern sector of the Gettysburg region in Adams County, Pennsylvania, adjacent to the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The sheet situates landmarks and transport corridors used by historians, geologists, conservationists, and planners working with resources associated with Gettysburg National Military Park, Hickory Bridge Run, Monocacy River, and nearby infrastructure corridors such as U.S. Route 15 and Pennsylvania Route 116.

Overview

The quadrangle is one of many USGS 7.5-minute series sheets that index the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region, forming a cartographic mosaic with neighboring quadrangles including East Berlin (PA) Quadrangle, York Springs (PA) Quadrangle, and sheets extending toward Gettysburg South (PA) Quadrangle boundaries. It records elevation, hydrography, cultural features, and survey control points used in projects by the United States Geological Survey, National Park Service, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and local municipal entities like Adams County, Pennsylvania and the borough government of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Geography and Topography

Topographically, the map captures the transition from ridgelines of the South Mountain (Pennsylvania) flank and the rolling foothills that drain into the Monocacy River watershed and tributaries feeding into the Susquehanna River and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay. Contour intervals show local relief associated with features such as Cemetery Hill environs, unnamed ridges, hollows, and the agricultural valleys that surround Meade School and other historic properties. Transportation features include mapped segments of U.S. Route 15, secondary roads connecting to Pennsylvania Route 234, and railroad rights-of-way historically used by carriers including predecessors of Pennsylvania Railroad and lines linked to Gettysburg Railroad corridors.

Geology and Soils

Bedrock and surficial geology on the quadrangle reflect the Appalachian Piedmont and Valley and Ridge physiographic provinces where Ordovician and Silurian lithologies—limestones, shales, and dolomites—alternate with quartzite-bearing ridges. Mappable units reference formations correlated with the Chambersburg Formation, carbonate units similar to those exposed in strata beneath Gettysburg Battlefield features, and surficial deposits that include colluvium, alluvium along streams, and residual soils described in county soil surveys prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture and state geologic surveys. Soil mapping units recorded in the quadrangle are used by Adams County Conservation District, agronomists advising operations at farms near Round Top, and engineers assessing foundation conditions for utility corridors.

Land Use and Natural Features

Land use portrayed on the sheet includes a matrix of cultivated fields, pastureland, mixed deciduous woodlots featuring species native to the Mid-Atlantic such as stands typical of forests managed under practices promoted by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, riparian corridors adjacent to tributaries of the Monocacy River, and patches of successional habitat with wildlife values recognized by organizations like Pennsylvania Game Commission and local chapters of The Nature Conservancy. The map documents anthropogenic features: farmsteads, cemeteries including burial grounds associated with historic communities, institutional footprints such as the Gettysburg National Cemetery periphery, and recreational resources that interface with trails and picnic areas administered by the National Park Service and regional park authorities.

Historical and Cultural Significance

The quadrangle encompasses terrain that intersects events and landscapes tied to the Battle of Gettysburg and postbellum commemoration practices involving the Gettysburg National Military Park and the dedication that included figures such as Abraham Lincoln and sites associated with units of the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia. The map aids researchers documenting the spatial relationships among farmsteads, roads, and stone walls referenced in battle orders and after-action studies by historians using primary sources from collections at institutions such as the Library of Congress and the Adams County Historical Society. Cultural resources identified on the quadrangle inform preservation planning under programs administered by the National Register of Historic Places and local historic commissions.

Map Production and Cartography Methods

The USGS production for the 7.5-minute quadrangle follows standards integrating aerial photography control, photogrammetric compilation, and field survey verification tied to the North American Datum of 1983 and National Geodetic Survey benchmarks. Cartographic symbology complies with conventions used across federal topographic mapping that allow interoperability with Geographic Information System layers maintained by agencies including the United States Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation systems and state GIS clearinghouses. Revisions and revisions panels reflect collaboration with the National Park Service, county planning offices, and transportation agencies addressing changes in U.S. Route 15 alignments, rail line status, and land-management boundaries documented in map editions.

Category:Topographic maps of Pennsylvania