Loading map...

1949 Map of Belchertown

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Belchertown
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1961
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1961

About this map

Belchertown and its surrounding Hampshire County landscape appear here in the late 1940s, revealing a rural network of family-named cemeteries and early industrial infrastructure. The settlement of Dwight marks a significant junction where the Central Vermont railroad skirts the foothills below Mt Lincoln. Further south, the State School and the St Hyacinths Seminary represent the institutional growth of the era, while the Sewage Disposal plant near Jabish Brook signals the mid-century modernization of local utilities.

Water plays a central role in the topography, with Arcadia Lake, Metacomet Lake, and Lake Holland clustered along the rail corridor. These bodies of water, along with numerous brooks like Bachelor Brook and Goodell Brook, defined the placement of historic farmsteads and road layouts such as Bay Road and Metacomet Road. Local heritage is well-preserved through several burial grounds, including the Munsel Cem and Lake Vale Cem, which provide essential touchstones for genealogical research in this part of Massachusetts.