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1971 Map of Ashfield

Name: 1971 Topographic Map of Ashfield
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1978
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

The Deerfield River carves the northern boundary of this landscape, flanked by the historic Mohawk Trail and the steel tracks of the Boston and Maine railroad. This 1970s revision shows a rural Massachusetts territory defined by high ridges and narrow valleys, where small population centers like Ashfield and Buckland are surrounded by numerous named "corners," such as Baptist Corner and Spruce Corner. These intersections often represent long-standing local landmarks in a region dominated by steep terrain and the Hawley State Forest.

Educational and civic anchors like Sanderson Academy and the Regional High Sch appear alongside traditional sites of local history including Leavitt Cem and Doane Cem. The drainage patterns of Clesson Brook and Hollow Brook illustrate the rugged geography that shaped early settlement, while larger water bodies like Ashfield Pond and the Bear Swamp Reservoir provided necessary resources for the isolated hillside communities.