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1953 Map of Grafton

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Grafton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Industrial villages and mill ponds follow the winding course of the Blackstone River through central Massachusetts during the mid-20th century. This survey reveals a landscape transitioning from traditional river-based industry to modern infrastructure, marked by the addition of the Massachusetts Turnpike across the northern half of the quadrangle. The Blackstone corridor is densely packed with manufacturing centers like Fisherville, Saundersville, and Farnumsville, where the New York New Haven and Hartford RR mirrors the water's path to serve local mills.

Further south, the terrain becomes more distinctively rural and recreational, home to the notable granite cleft of Purgatory Chasm State Park. Educational and civic life is anchored by the Grafton State Hospital and Grafton High Sch, while local genealogy is represented by several family and historic grounds including Indian Cem and Riverside Cem. The presence of the Grafton Airport and the Boston and Albany RR at Millbury Junc further illustrates the region's role as a vital transportation hub.