1954 Map of Barre

About this map

The Ware River and its various tributaries, including the Burnshirt River, anchor this mid-century portrait of central Massachusetts. Industry and transport are closely tied to the water, visible at Williamsville and White Valley, where the Quabbin Aqueduct cuts underground toward the east. This 1950s landscape shows the transition from earlier mill-based economies to a modern rural-residential layout, with the New York Central and Boston and Albany railroads still defining the corridors through Barre Plains and South Barre.