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1945 Map of Becket

Name: 1945 Topographic Map of Becket
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Becket and the surrounding Berkshire highlands are defined by a landscape of high summits and narrow river valleys as they appeared following the Second World War. The West Branch Westfield River cuts a deep path through the center of the sheet, followed closely by the tracks of the Boston & Albany RR. This rail corridor was the lifeblood of settlements like Bancroft and Becket, connecting the upland quarries and mills to the larger markets of New England.

Away from the industrial river valley, the map reveals a more quiet, agricultural character at Becket Center and Bonny Rigg Corners. Numerous ponds, including Center Pond, Rudd Pond, and Yokum Pond, dot the high plateaus between peaks like Wadsworth Hill and Johnnycake Hill. Cultural landmarks such as the Mt St Lawrence Novitiate and the Washington Cem provide specific points of interest for genealogists tracing family roots in this corner of the Berkshires during the mid-twentieth century.