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1941 Map of Shelburne Falls

Name: 1941 Topographic Map of Shelburne Falls
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1941
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1941

About this map

The Deerfield River carves a deep valley through Franklin County, anchoring the commercial and industrial heart of Shelburne Falls. In the late 1930s, the Boston and Maine Railroad follows the river’s winding course, serving the small settlements of Hardwell and West Deerfield. The famed Mohawk Trail traverses the high ridges, providing a modern transport artery across the steep slopes of Massamet Mountain and Greenfield Mountain.

Family history is preserved in numerous upland burial grounds like Arms Cem and Skinner Cem, while the southern landscape around Conway shows a pattern of small-scale agriculture and early water management at the Conway Reservoir. The terrain is defined by named peaks such as Flag Mtn and Arthurs Seat, reflecting a landscape where geographic elevation dictated the placement of roads like Shelburne Road and the scattered farmsteads of the rural hill towns.