Quabbin-Yesterday and Today
Click here for the exhibition schedule
This exhibit provides a look at the Quabbin Reservoir from when it was built in the 1930s, contrasted with what it has become today. it was recently featured at the Massachusetts State House and is now going on the road to libraries in the communities that receive their water from the Quabbin to help raise awareness among the people that receive Quabbin Water the sacrifices it took to build the Quabbin as well as the impact of climate change upon their water supply.
The images are a combination of the Quabbin today, along with historical photos showing life in the Swift River Valley before the Quabbin was built and photos from the construction process.
Historical photographs are from the Digital Commonwealth/Massachusetts State Archives. The contemporary photographs were taken by Belchertown-based nature photographer Ed Comeau. This exhibit was made possible through a grant from the Mass Cultural Council to the Friends of Quabbin.
Click on any image to expand it and then use the right and left arrows to navigate through the collection. Not all of the images may be featured at each library due to space constraints.
Historic Keystone Bridge
The East, Middle and West Branches of the Swift River are key contributors to the water in the Quabbin Reservoir and were dammed by the construction of the Winsor Dam on the south end of the Quabbin in Belchertown. The historic Keystone Bridge, built in the 1800’s, spans the Middle Branch of the Swift River. Unfortunately, in the past few years, it had suffered significant deterioration which required emergency stabiliztion that was funded by the Friends of the Quabbin. This quick action helped to preserve this important piece of history of the Swift River Valley.
Clearing the Land
To ensure water quality, all structures and vegetation had to be stripped away from the land. Buildings were either demolished or moved to other locations in the valley. Clearing the brush required a large crew of workers and was seen as a patronage opportunity for Boston politicians to hand out jobs to their constituents from the city during the Depression, many of whom had never held an axe in their hands before. Locals referred to these workers as “woodpeckers,” certainly not a term of endearment.
Springtime in the Quabbin
Spring in the Quabbin is a beautiful time of renewal. There are 53 gates around the 118-mile shoreline of the Quabbin that provide access into the land and water for hiking, hunting, fishing, snowshoeing and photography. There are twelve towns in the Quabbin Watershed that help provide water to the Quabbin: Athol, Barre, Belchertown, Hardwick, New Salem, Orange, Pelham, Petersham, Phillipston, Shutesbury, Ware and Wendell. The water is naturally filtered by the watershed, requiring
Bobcat
Bobcats are shy and elusive creatures that can be found throughout the Quabbin, and seeing one is a special experience. In this case, I had been sitting in the woods for quite some time when I glanced over to my left and saw this beautiful animal. I think it was just as surprised as I was, and I was able to get off just a few photographs before it scampered away.
Alba Paige Farm, New Salem
Many of the properties were documented by teams of surveyors and photographers. In each of the photographs a chalkboard with the location and a site schematic would be placed to help catalog the property and buildings. A number of the people involved in this documentation and working on the project were recent graduates from engineering programs at MIT, Northeastern University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. However, the title “engineer” was reported to be loosely used by others working on the project, whether they held an engineering degree or not.
Keeping Watch
Spotting an eagle in the Quabbin is a beautiful moment. With a wingspan of approximately 7 feet, they can fly at 30 mph and dive at 100 mph, spotting prey 3 miles away. Fish is one of their main staples and eagles mate for life. Eagles were successfully reintroduced into the Quabbin in the 1980’s when two chicks, Betsy and Ross, were raised on the Prescott Peninsula. In 2025 there were five nesting pairs in the Quabbin with a number of single eagles adding to this total. It is believed that most of the eagles, statewide, originated from this introduction program.
Swift River Garage, Greenwich
The Swift River Valley was home to four vibrant communities that no longer exist – Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott. Approximately 2,500 people lived there, working on farms, running stores, gas stations and other businesses. Agriculture was a major part of life as was manufacturing, such as box companies. All of these homes, businesses, and farms were lost when the land was taken by the state.
Sunrise Over the Quabbin
The Quabbin Reservoir is 18 miles long and has a surface area of 24,529 acres, which is equivalent to almost 500 Boston Commons laid side-by-side, or about 80% of the land area of Boston. It provides approximately 200 million gallons per day to 2.7 million people in 53 communities that make up the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority system.
Digging the Aqueduct
To move the water eastward it was necessary to dig an aqueduct, or tunnel, 25 miles between the Quabbin and the Wachusett Reservoir to the east. This required digging a series of vertical shafts along the route and a horiztonal, DIMENSION aqueduct approximately HOW MANY feet underground. This was incredibly hard work under challenging conditions, but welcome a welcome opportunity for many of the workers during the Depression. Building the base of the Winsor Dam and Goodnough Dike required working in pressurized caissons and having to go through decompression chambers to avoid getting the bends. In addition to being able to send water eastward to Wachusett Reservoir, the system was designed to allow for water from the Ware River to be diverted and sent either to the Quabbin or Wachusett, providing an additional water source during periods of drought.
Greeting the Morning
There are known to be at least 20 territorial pairs of Loons in the Quabbin, definitely more, and their haunting cry can often be heard echoing across the water. Loons mate for life, are very strong divers and swimmers, and live on a diet of fish, crayfish and other aquatic animals. The Quabbin has become home to a wide diversity of animal life, including moose, bear, deer, bobcat, eagles, otters, loons and much more.
Surveying Engineers
Surveying the entire Swift River Valley, along with the route to the Wachusett Reservoir, was a critical phase of the project. Much of this was done by recent engineering graduates from Worcester Polytech Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northeastern University. Since the Quabbin was being built during the Depression, this was welcome work for these recent graduates who relocated to the Valley.
Fly Fishing on the Swift River
The Swift River in Belchertown below the Winsor Dam is known for its excellent fly fishing. The three branches of the Swift River (East, Middle, West) were dammed by the construction of the Winsor Dam and Goodnough Dike. It took seven years from 1939 to 1946 for the Quabbin to fill, creating one of the largest man-made water supplies in the world at the time
Engineer Baseball Team
The title “engineer” was loosely used by those working on the project and did not necessarily always apply to those with engineering degrees but to many other local workers on the project as well. The influx of these workers from outside the Swift River Valley was not always appreciated by the residents because it was a sign of the end of an era for many that had lived there for generations. However, it was also an opportunity during the Depression to provide food and lodging to this workforce, and a number of these workers wound up marrying into the local familes and becoming a part of the fabric of the community.
Aerial Spotting Tower
As hard as it might be to believe, during World War II, as the Quabbin was being filled, it was used for aerial bombardment practice by planes out of Westover. Towers such as this were used to guide the pilots and observe their success in hitting their targets. In addition, ground-based armament was also tested in the Quabbin until WHEN. Today, remenants of the weapons mounts can be found at Gate 52 inside the Quabbin Park.
Otters
Otters are a common sight in the Quabbin and the surrounding watershed. They are incredibly inquisitive and playful animals and you can see their otter slides in the mud on the banks. Otters eat fish and shellfish and will stay in the Quabbin year-round. They are very social creatures and live in groups called rafts. While sleeping, they will hold hands to avoid drifting apart. Otters live in dens and have been known to take over abandoned beaver lodges. In this shot, I was set up by the bank of a beaver pond and they were swimming towards me, checking me out. The lead otter was popping up and barking at me, letting me know that this was his pond, not mine, so I got the hint and left them in peace!
Moving Houses
Not all of the buildings in the Valley were torn down. A number of them were moved to other locations in the Valley with some going as far as WHERE. Some of the more notable ones that are still standing today include the Swift River Valley Historical Society in New Salem and the Pelham Historical Society.
Quabbin-Yesterday and Today Exhibition Schedule
- 2026
- October – Quincy Thomas Crane Library and Baystate Greenfield Hospital
- November – Hyde Park Branch (Boston Public Library) and Marblehead Abbot Public Library
- December – Chelsea Town Hall and Amherst Town Hall
- 2027
- January – Allston Branch (Boston Public Library) and Southborough Library
- February – Framingham Public Library and Southborough Library
- March – Brookline Library
- April – Brookline Library
- June – Roslindale Branch (Boston Public Library)
- July – Watertown Free Public Library
- September – Medford Charlotte and William Bloomberg Public Library
- October – Marlborough Public Library
- November – Marlborough Public Library