1953 Map of Webster

About this map

Quinebaug River and French River define the industrial and agricultural landscape of this south-central Massachusetts and northern Connecticut borderland. In the early 1950s, the town of Webster serves as a hub of activity, where the Boston and Albany RR and the New York New Haven and Hartford RR intersect near dense residential pockets like North Village and Chaseville. The presence of Nichols College in Dudley anchors the educational character of the region, while the surrounding landscape is dotted with local institutions like Parker Sch and Chandler Sch. Smaller hamlets such as West Oxford and Wilsonville maintain their distinct identities amidst a network of water bodies, including Granite Reservoir and Merino Pond. This survey, revised from 1940s field work, documents the transition from traditional water-powered valley settlements to a more connected mid-century roadway system featuring U.S. 20 and Mass 131.