1897 Map of Becket

About this map

Pittsfield and its industrial fringes at Coltsville and Lenox Furnace define the western edge of this Berkshire highland survey. The landscape is a network of high-altitude water sources, including Ashley Lake and the Ashmere Reservoir, which feed the drainages of the Housatonic River and the West Branch Of Westfield River. In this era, the mountain towns of Washington and Peru were connected by the essential Boston and Albany railroad, which crests the range near the Washington Station P.O.. Local industry and travel are evidenced by small settlements such as Middlefield and Becket Center, situated among prominent peaks like Walling Mt and French Hill. This 1886 reconnaissance work documents the region before modern reforestation, capturing the placement of hillside farms and the early hydraulic infrastructure that powered the valley's mills.