1890 Map of Belchertown

About this map

The Swift River valley and its complex network of tributaries dominate this late nineteenth-century landscape, decades before the geography of central Massachusetts was fundamentally altered. In this era, the valley is a series of active townships, including Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott, where industry and agriculture followed the river's path. Rail transit was central to the region’s economy, with the Boston & Albany R. R. following the river corridor and the New London Northern R. R. cutting through Belchertown and past Dwights Station. Small industrial hamlets such as Greenwich Village and Smiths Village are documented alongside notable terrain features like Quabin Hill and the Mt. Holyoke Range. This survey preserves the exact locations of many settlements and homesteads that defined the upper river valley before the twentieth century.