1943 Map of Shutesbury

About this map

Shutesbury and its surrounding hill towns are captured here at the start of the 1940s, a period marked by the immense presence of the newly formed Quabbin Reservoir along the eastern edge of the quadrangle. The map reveals the intricate network of brooks and reservoirs that define the Hampshire and Franklin County borderlands, including Atkins Reservoir and Baker Reservoir. This era shows a landscape of small, dispersed settlements and family-named terrain, where old roads like Montague Road and Pelham Hill Road connect rural nodes such as Moores Corner and Cooleyville. The distribution of local landmarks like West Cem, Valley Cem, and the Rhodes Sch provides a valuable record of community life and genealogy in the uplands between the Swift River and the Amherst area, documenting the region's character just as the Quabbin was transforming the local geography.