Perhaps in no aspect, aside from its beauty, is Quabbin more striking than the overwhelming sense of the lost communities that now exist only in scattered words or images on paper. The waters of Quabbin Reservoir cover many traces of the four towns and numerous villages that once prospered in the Swift River Valley, and all that remains of Dana, Enfield, Prescott, and Greenwich (GREEN-witch) are cellar holes, stone walls, and roads that disappear beneath the waters of the reservoir. The story of these towns is similar to that of most small New England communities…except for the last chapter.
Three Views of Enfield, Swift River Valley
1927 The town of Enfield
The former site of Enfield, cleared prior to flooding
The Enfield site lies 90 feet below the surface of the Quabbin Reservoir
A Brief History of the Valley
Nipmuc Indians lived in and hunted throughout the valley before European settlers began clearing the land and farming the valley’s rich soils in the early 1700’s. The Indians were eventually driven from the valley by disease and warfare.
By the later part of the 19th century the valley towns were lively and productive. A branch of the Boston and Albany railroad carried passengers between Athol and Springfield. Known as the “Rabbit Line” because of the number of stops, or short hops it made, the train took three and a half hours to complete the fifty mile trip. Inns and taverns catered to travelers, while industries such as the Swift River Box Company provided work for local residents. Palm-leaf hats, Shaker bonnets, and soapstone footwarmers were made in Dana. Dana and Greenwich were popular with summer visitors, and residents of Prescott relied on farming to provide their incomes. Enfield was originally part of Greenwich; many mills were located there, and it was considered the wealthiest town in the valley.
Westward expansion and industrialization caused the decline of many rural New England towns, and those in the Swift River Valley did not escape the economic hardships and decrease in population as business and residents were drawn to the opportunities offered elsewhere. Dana, Enfield, Prescott and Greenwich were dealt a final blow when rumors implying the towns would be flooded began to circulate. Property values decreased, and the Great Depression added its financial strain to the problems facing these small communities.
Although the decision to flood the towns met with some local resistance, the valley people had few options. Systematically, the valley was transformed. The 2,500 residents left their homes, with prized possessions and memories, and started over in other towns. Their empty houses were razed or moved; factories were demolished; large tracts of land were clear cut and burned; roads were relocated. The 7,500 bodies buried in the towns’ 34 cemeteries were removed, most were re-interred at Quabbin Park Cemetery in Ware.
The final chapter of the lives of these towns was completed on April 28th, 1938, the date of their official demise. The Swift River Valley Historical Society in New Salem preserves the history of the region, books have been written about the towns and exhibits in the Quabbin Park Visitor Center illustrate the changes that have occurred. Some people still recall the villages, farms, woodlands, and streams now submerged in a striking landscape with a beauty all its own. Today, as you wander woodland roads, pass vacant foundations, or gaze upon the vista of a great lake with its wild shores, soaring eagles and mountain islands, you can imagine the lost valley and its people. The valley is silent now, but not forgotten.