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1971 Map of Ashfield

Name: 1971 Topographic Map of Ashfield
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1973
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1973

About this map

The Deerfield River corridor serves as the primary northern axis for this portion of Franklin County, where the Boston and Maine railroad tracks parallel the water and the famed Mohawk Trail. The terrain is defined by a series of prominent peaks such as Snow Mountain and Mary Lyon Hill, which drop steeply into the narrow valleys of Clesson Brook and Rice Brook. These waterways once powered the rural economy, supporting clusters of settlement at Buckland and East Charlemont.

Central to the landscape is the town of Ashfield, situated near Ashfield Pond and the historic Sanderson Academy. The map reveals a network of old roads connecting outlying crossroads like Baptist Corner and Spruce Corner, providing a look at the residential and agricultural layout of the early 1970s. Local history is anchored in sites like the Ashfield Plain Cem and Leavitt Cem, while the sprawling Hawley State Forest preserves the wooded Character of the western highlands.