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1897 Map of Becket

Name: 1897 Topographic Map of Becket
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1909
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1909

About this map

The Housatonic River and the Boston and Albany Railroad define the industrial and transportation corridor of the Berkshires at the end of the nineteenth century. This survey documents the transition between the growing city of Pittsfield and the smaller mountain hamlets like Becket Center, Peru, and West Becket. The landscape is dominated by heavy water power and storage infrastructure, including the Plunkett Reservoir and Ashley Lake, which supported the region's manufacturing needs.

Evidence of the area's specialized industry appears at Lenox Furnace, while the rural postal networks are anchored by locations such as Washington Station P.O. and Washington. The geography reflects a reliance on the rugged drainage basins of the West Branch of Westfield River and various ponds like Goose Pond and Center Pond, which provided both power and vital resources for the scattered settlements and rail stops along the North Adams Branch.