Quabbin Valley: People and Places

A collection of vintage photographs and an informative text provide a nostalgic look at the Quabbin Valley, from 1750 to 1938, documenting the everyday lives of the inhabitants of Dana, Enfield, Prescott, Greenwich, and their environs, until they were displaced when the region was flooded to create the Quabbin Reservoir.

Quaben, the Nipmuc Indian word for “many waters,” was the name originally given to the area of central Massachusetts that is now known as the Quabbin Valley. The abundance of ponds, lakes, and streams in the region made it an obvious target for those seeking new water sources to supply

The Quabbin Reservoir, in central Massachusetts, was created in 1938 to supply the state's growing population with a source of drinking water. More than two thousand people were displaced when the Quabbin Valley was flooded. Three branches of the Swift River were dammed, and five towns-Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, Prescott, and

In the tradition of Silent Spring, a modern parable of the American experience and our paradoxical relationship with the natural world. Though it seems a part of the "natural" landscape of New England today, the Swift River Valley reservoir, dam, dike, and nature area was a triumph of civil engineering.

Join New York Times bestselling author Carla Neggers with the first book in her fan—favorite Swift River Valley series A wave of hope carries Olivia Frost back to her small New England hometown nestled in the beautiful Swift River Valley. She’s transforming a historic home into an idyllic getaway—picturesque and