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From: "Arthur Roberts" <>
Subject: RE: [MAWORCES] Vital Records for the Quabbin Area
Date: Mon, 18 Apr 2005 12:16:54 -0400
In-Reply-To: <18e801c543c0$00f894c0$6701a8c0@hsd1.ma.comcast.net>


Very nice reply! I walk the Quabbin these days and it is very pleasant - you
can almost hear the old folks from those old towns when you stroll the wide
roads lined with maple trees and pass the site of the old highway reststop -
a site of an inn on the stage coach line - from Orange to Ware? I have seen
eagles flying there, porcupines in the trees stripping bark, and seen wild
turkeys scratching for bugs. The light shines off the water magnificiently.
Crowded Boston's need for water created wilderness. My aunt tells me we had
a relative that had a shoddy mill on the Quinnipoxett River and when the
government took his land to make the Wachusetts Reservoir, he moved west to
Dana and built another shoddy mill. Tough luck.

Barbara

-----Original Message-----
From: Lisa Lepore [mailto:]
Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2005 10:41 PM
To:
Subject: Re: [MAWORCES] Vital Records for the Quabbin Area


Sally -

Did anyone ever answer this message? The cemeteries
were relocated, and as far as I know all the records were
removed before the towns were drowned. The 4 towns were
Greenwich, Enfield, Prescott and Dana. Parts of 6 other towns
were also taken.

I have some information that was posted to lists over the years.

Greenwich, Mass:
Property owners of 1861
The Greenwich vitals are on microfilm at the Worcester public
library. The film doesn't circulate. I suppose if you have an exact
item they might be able to look it up for you, but I don't know for
sure.

The records are probably also at the Masschusetts State archives,
so you might want to check there.

There are 2 other places you can check -

Quabbin Visitor Center at Winsor Dam - 9-4:30 Daily
Phone: 413-323-7221. This is run by the Metropolitan
District Commision (MDC). I think the
original vitals are store here.
Metropolitan District Commission
division of Watershed Management
Quabbin Section
485 Ware Road
Po Box 628
Belchertown, MA 01007

I also found these different phone numbers
phone - 413-323-6921
fax 413-784-1751
so I'm not sure which are correct.

I believe there are also copies at the Massachusetts
State Archives.

Swift River Valley Historical Society:
Headquarters at 40 Elm St., North New Salem.
Open Sunday 1-4 until Oct. 12.
Phone 978-544-6882

This place is seasonal - I'm not sure when they will open
again for this year.

There are several books by J.R. Greene
which describe the area, and the history of the towns

Here are some notes I took from a Greene book,
"An Atlas Of The Quabbin Valley & Ware River Diversion"
IBSN 0-9609404-7-2
in my local library:

Greenwich was first settled by white men as Narragansett Township #4
in 1735. The land was a reward to troops who had served in earlier
Indian Wars.
It was first named Quabbin, after a local Nipmuc chief, then
incorporated
as Greenwich on April 20, 1754 and named for a Scottish duke.

Here are some other books -

If you can't find them, you might be able to order the Greene books
from the author

J.R. Greene
33 Bearsden Road
Athol, Ma 01331


A Bibliography of Quabbin Valley History
J. R. Greene
Athol Mass: 1992
This is the first comprehensive bibliography on Quabbin Valley history
to be published. It contains annotated lists of books, pamphlets,
periodical articles, reports, laws, maps, town reports, thesis papers
and films relating to the towns and villages taken for the water
projects in the swift and Ware River valleys. It is intended to be
useful for collectors and researchers.
J.R. Greene, the compiler of this bibliography, is the author of
several books (see Quabbin section on Massachusetts page), magazine
articles and newspaper articles on Quabbin related subjects.
44 pages, 9x12 spiral bound

Historic Quabbin Hikes
J. R. Greene
Athol Mass: Highland Press 1994
If you like to hike or bicycle the old roads of the Quabbin Reservoir
watershed, or just want to learn more about what the old Swift River
valley was like, then this book is a must. It details the history of
most of the cellarholes above the shoreline, and-illustrates many of
these buildings which were destroyed for Metropolitan Boston's water
supply.
Many people know about the ghostly site of Dana Common, but did you
know that there are other village sites above the Quabbin shoreline?
They are included here, along with directions on how to find them, and
the rules and regulations for hiking and bicycling in the reservation.
J. R. Greene is a lifelong resident of Athol, MA., where he is active
in local government and civic affairs. He has written five other
books, three atlases, two bibliographies, and many articles on local
history and collectibles topics. He has also delivered many slide
lectures and led guided hikes on Quabbin history.
483, 131 pages, 6x9 softbound

Great Waters - A History of Boston's Water Supply
E. N. Hartley
University Press of New England 1983
Boston's thirst for water destroyed several communities. This book
covers the controversial history of Boston's water supply from 1846 to
the present including the building of the Cochituate, Sudbury,
Wachusett and Quabin reservoirs. The pictures show before and after
the reservoirs.Includes a bibliography.
490, 106 pages, 6x9 hardbound, dust jacket VF/VF

An Atlas of the Quabbin Valley and Ware River Diversion
J. R. Greene
Revised Edition 1996
A series of new maps depicting the four former towns of the valley and
their reservoir that drowned them, with accompanying text and
pictures. The Quabbin towns are Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott.
Also included are maps of Oakham, West Rutland, White Valley and
Barre. The book includes maps of the towns in 1850 and 1900, a modern
map, a biography of each town, pictures and hikes on both sides of the
reservoir. A nice resource if you had ancestors in the lost towns or
if you want to hike the area. It's a fascinating place to hike. Former
highways just disappear into the water, lots of old cellar holes.
143 32 pages 9x12, softbound

The Day Four Towns Died - Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott
J. R. Greene 1985
(from the back cover) This book narrates the events leading up to ,
during and after April 27, 1938 in the Swift River Valley of Central
Massachusetts. That was the last day of corporate existence for Dana,
Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott, the four towns doomed by flooding of
the valley for Quabbin Reservoir.
Recounted here are official acts, and what some individuals were dong
in their daily lives at the time. What was it like in the last days of
the valley - to see buildings come down around you and neighbors
leaving almost weekly? Find out in this book by a recognized historian
of the Quabbin region.
647 104 pages, 6x9 softbound

The Creation of Quabbin Reservoir The Death of the Swift River Valley
J. R. Greene 1995 (Second edition)
(from the back cover) How and why were four central Massachusetts
towns wiped out to build a reservoir? This work attempts to answer
these questions without getting bogged down in the minor details of
"local history" or the technical terms of an engineering manual.
Whether you saw the waters rise or not, you'll never look at Quabbin
Reservoir the same way after reading the whole story behind it here.
648. 109 pages, 6x9 softbound

Strange Tales From Old Quabbin $9.95
J. R. Greene 1993
(from the back cover) In his first full-length book since 1987,
Quabbin historian J. R. Greene takes you to the hidden past of the old
Swift River Valley.
This is a different kind of Quabbin history, including tales that will
amuse, shock and sadden the reader. His subjects are farmers,
soldiers, murderers, ministers, naughtily ladies, odd people and even
odder places.
The author includes names, dates and locations dealing with events in
all the towns of the valley. These incredible stories come complete
with their well-documented sources. So dive in and have a fun an scary
read
649. 134 pages, 6x9 softbound

The Mass Central: Quabbin's Phantom Railroad
J. R. Greene
Athol Mass: Highland Press 1996
(from the back cover) This book tells the full story of the first
incarnation (1869-1883) of the famous Central Mass. Division of the
Boston & Maine Railroad. Laid out from Cambridge to Northampton, this
hard luck line was completed only as far west as Holden before it went
bankrupt. One large municipal stock subscription had to be voted on
three times to get it right. A major deal to sell the line's bonds
fell through because of a financial panic. The contractor for the line
went broke partly due to a sunken scow. The contract for the line's
unfinished bridge over the Connecticut River caused a scandal
investigated by the legislature. A banking house which was a major
backer of the line collapsed because one of its managers got drunk at
a bad time.
Famous people associated with the Mass Central RR included poetess
Emily Dickinson's father, a Speaker of the Mass. House of
Representatives, a state governor, and a Secretary of the U.S.
Treasury. Their involvement with the Central may have hastened the
deaths of the first two, while being the low point in the long
career -of the fourth one. Ironically, some of the most intact
portions of the line's route, east of the Quabbin Reservoir, never saw
a rail laid upon them.
Railroad fans and local history buffs from towns along the Central's
route will find much of interest in this detailed narrative.
650. 104 pages, 9x12 softbound


QUABBIN : THE LOST VALLEY
by Donald Howe; 1951

Lisa




----- Original Message -----
From: "Jerry Holcombe" <>
To: <>
Sent: Saturday, March 26, 2005 7:48 PM
Subject: [MAWORCES] Vital Records for the Quabbin Area


> I live out in California so I'm not knowledgeable about the history
of
> the Quabbin Reservoir. Does anybody on the list know if marriage,
> birth, death, records, etc., were saved from the "drowned" towns
before
> inundation? If so, where could I find out about them?
>
> Thank you.
>
> Best Regards,
> Sally (Bolster) Holcombe
>
> Walnut Creek, California
>



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