Conuel skillfully provides an overview of the region, a discussion of its people, the reasons for the construction of the reservoir, and the impact of the project on human settlements and natural resources. -- Historical Journal of Massachusetts

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. It combined forward-looking environmental stewardship and social policy, yet the “little people”—and the four towns in which they lived—got lost along the way. Elisabeth Rosenberg has crafted Before the Flood to be both a modern and a universal story in a time when managed retreat will one day be a reality. Meticulously researched, Before the Flood, is the first narrative book on the incredible history of the Swift River Valley and the origins Quabbin Reservoir. Rosenberg dive into the socioeconomic and psychological aspects of the Swift River Valley’s destruction in order to supply drinking water for the growing populations of Boston and wider Massachusetts. It is as much a human story as the story of water and landscape, and Before the Flood movingly reveals both the stories and the science of the key players and the four flooded towns that were washed forever away.

Stunning landscape and wildlife photography from a dedicated naturalist and chronicler of Quabbin, the central Massachusetts nature preserve created when four towns were flooded in the 1930s to create the water supply for Greater Boston.

Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, Prescott-- four towns are dismantled slowly while their inhabitants grieve for a history and heritage that has been voted away from them. A family saga based on an actual event which displaced four entire towns in central Massachusetts for the construction of a reservoir to supply water for Boston, where families are divided between those who protest the construction project, those who give up and leave, and those who help to build it.

- More than 60 chilling stories - Covers all regions of the state A fun look at unexplained phenomena in Massachusetts, including the wandering spirit of lost child Lucy Keyes, the monkey-like Dover Demon, the ghost that leaves tips at Stone's Public Tavern, hauntings in Lizzie Borden's house, the Black Flash phantom in Provincetown, and many more.

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 parts of New Salem-were covered with water. The Lost Towns of the Quabbin Valley highlights the life and times of these towns from 1754 to 1938, when the inhabitants were told, "All Must Leave." The architectural landscape of the Quabbin Valley at one time included the churches, cemeteries, schoolhouses, post offices, homes, and businesses that made the thriving communities. The Lost Towns of the Quabbin Valley presents rare photographs of town life, including images of students at the first Hillside School and Dr. Mary Walker, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and Greenwich summer resident. The images are drawn from the archives of the Swift River Valley Historical Society. Although the towns are gone, their stories are alive and well.

This is the definitive history and contemporary explorer's guide to the Quabbin Reservoir. Located in Central Massachusetts, the reservoir is an amazing wilderness with an equally amazing history. The Quabbin has 118 miles of undeveloped shoreline, with surrounding reservation spanning some 81,000 acres of protected open space. The great city of Boston gets all its water from the Quabbin/Ware River/Wachusett watersheds, as do 45 other communities in Massachusetts. This book explores topics such as building the Quabbin and how it works; hiking, wildlife viewing, biking, and fishing; visiting the region's best waterfalls; Quabbin rules and regulations; as well as information on accommodations, restaurants, camping, orchards, swimming, golf, general stores, crafts, antiques, history, and more.