Voices of the Swift River Valley
This is a project to help make available the oral histories of the residents of the Swift River Valley at the time the Quabbin Reservoir was created. it is using the oral histories recorded in the 1970's by Audrey Duckert and that are available online from the UMass Library. The audio quality of the original recordings has been improved using an audio tool and an audiogram was generated. As such, while the recording was reviewed by a person, the audiogram may not necessarily be a perfect rendition of the conversation. Return to home page
This is an ongoing project and new recordings will be uploaded periodically.
Avis Flagg Setkewich (1926-2004)
In this 1986 oral history interview with the Friends of Quabbin, Avis Flagg Setkewich recounts her early life growing up in Dana, Massachusetts, one of the towns lost to the Quabbin Reservoir. Born in Ware in 1927, she moved to Dana when she was about four years old, the second of fifteen children in the Flagg family. She describes walking to school through town, past sugar maples and local landmarks like Hager’s Store and the Goodmans’ windmill, and fondly remembers her teachers, games of marbles and hopscotch, and sledding down hills in winter. Her father worked at the Swift River Box Company and farmed vegetables and cows, while her mother, Rachel, was known for her cooking and canning. Avis recalls Girl Scout meetings, swimming and fishing in the West Branch River, and gathering wild berries and cranberries in the surrounding woods.
She also offers vivid memories of life in Dana before its disincorporation, including the train tracks, the general stores, and the Methodist church where her family worshipped. Avis remembers watching the trees being dynamited and the houses dismantled as the Quabbin project advanced in the mid-1930s. Her father salvaged lumber from one of those homes to build a new family house after the move to Athol. Though she left Dana at age eleven, she often returned later in life to explore cellar holes, collect old bottles, and reflect on the community that once stood there—preserving its spirit through stories of neighbors, family, and everyday life in a vanished town.
Avis Setkewich Obituary
1926 – 2004
BELCHERTOWN – Avis Caroline (Flagg) Setkewich, 78, of Cold Spring Rd. and Bradenton, FL, died August 12 at Mary Lane Hospital. Born in Ware, MA July 17, 1926, she was the daughter of the late Ava B. and Rachel E. (Allen) Flagg. Avis and her husband Stephen have lived in Belchertown since 1966, previously residing in Chicopee. In 1979, they spent some of their time in Florida, and in 1987 resided in Bradenton during the winter and Belchertown in the summer months. Avis was proprietor of Cold Spring Kennels in Belchertown, MA and retired after 24 years of employment. She was a member of the Animals Require Friends in Belchertown, MA, Friends of Quabbin in Ware, MA, the Swift River Valley Historical Society in New Salem, MA, and the New England Historical Genealogical Society in Boston, MA. Avis was a former resident of N. Dana, one of the towns that was flooded by Quabbin Reservoir, and she enjoyed genealogy as well as crafts and ceramics. Besides her husband of 58 years, Stephen, she is survived by her children Rodney and his wife Joan Setkewich of Belchertown, Stephen and his wife Susan Setkewich of Somers, CT, and Darlene Setkewich and her companion Brian Swain of Springfield. Avis was the second oldest of fifteen children and leaves her siblings Edna, Ava, Barbara, William, Ira, Marshall, Dana, Mary, Carol, David and Laurel; grandchildren Katie Boyko, Mandy, Rhonda, Crystal and Evan Setkewich; and three great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her daughter Sharon M. Setkewich in 1981 and three siblings. Funeral services will be held Monday at 7:00 p.m. at the Beers & Story Belchertown Funeral Home, preceded by visitation from 4-7 p.m. Friends and family may gather at the funeral home Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. to drive in procession to Quabbin Park Cemetery. Donations may be made in her memory to the Belchertown Senior Center, State St., Belchertown, MA 01007. To sign memorial guest book, please visit www.beersandstory.com.