1897 Map of Sheffield

About this map

The Housatonic River valley serves as the central axis for this late-19th-century landscape, where the New York New Haven & Hartford RR connects a series of established mill towns and agricultural centers. Great Barrington and Sheffield anchor the river plain, while the western horizon is dominated by the dramatic elevation of Mt Everett and the Taconic Range. The presence of smaller, vanished industrial hamlets like Gomorrah, Sodom, and Hammertown reflects a period when localized water power from Long Pond Brook and Bashbish Brook fueled small-scale manufacturing. Notable landmarks include the dramatic Bashbish Falls and the community surrounding Union Church in Mount Washington. The map meticulously records the intersection of three states, showing the transition from the Berkshire hills of Massachusetts into the valley of Canaan in Connecticut and the edge of Columbia County, New York.