1944 Map of Mt Toby

About this map

The Connecticut River carves a deep valley through the heart of this Pioneer Valley landscape, where agriculture and early industry are defined by the water. To the west, the Boston and Maine Railroad services a string of settlements like South Deerfield and East Whately, while the Central Vermont Railroad parallels the river on the east through Sunderland and Leverett. The map captures a moment when the University of Massachusetts at Amherst was a more modest campus surrounded by farmland and woods. Elevated landmarks like Mt Toby and the Mt Sugarloaf State Reservation rise sharply above the flat tillable plains. Local life is anchored by family burial grounds such as Pine Nook Cem and small industrial sites like Factory Hollow, where the Mill River was harnessed for production before the mid-century suburban expansion.