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1948 Map of Williamsburg

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Williamsburg
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1961
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1961

About this map

Williamsburg and Haydenville anchor this 1940s survey of the western Massachusetts highlands, where the Mill River and Williamsburg Branch carve through a landscape of steep hills and narrow gulfs. The industrial character of the valley is evident at Brass Mill Pond and the Williamsburg Station, served by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. To the north, the terrain rises into the Conway State Forest, punctuated by family-named landmarks like Joe Herrick Gulf and Guinea Gulf.

The map reveals the rural infrastructure of Franklin and Hampshire Counties before mid-century modernization, showing numerous upland settlements such as Poland and West Whately. Small community anchors like the Poland School and Cricket Hill Cemetery are preserved alongside larger water works including the Northampton Reservoir and Mountain Street Reservoir. The eastern edge transitions into the Great Swamp and the agricultural flats near Whately, where the Boston and Maine Railroad runs parallel to Chestnut Plain Road.