The historical settlement of Enfield (Submerged to form Quabbin Reservoir), Massachusetts represents an important chapter in the development of Massachusetts. Now abandoned to the elements, this ghost town offers a unique opportunity to connect with the past and understand the forces that shaped the region’s growth and change.
County: Hampshire
Zip Code: Not available
Latitude / Longitude: 42°19′0″N 72°19′58″W / 42.31667°N 72.33278°W / 42.31667
Elevation: Not available
Time Zone: Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
Established: February 15, 1816
Disestablished: April 28, 1938
Comments: This location the Quabbin Valley is a region of Massachusetts in the United States. The region consists of areas drained by the Quabbin Reservoir and accompanying river systems in Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester counties. The area is sometimes known as the Swift River Valley region, a reference to the Swift River, which was dammed to form the reservoir.
Remains: The ghost town’s physical remnants at its most restrictive, the Quabbin-Swift River Valley includes the towns immediately bordering the reservoir and lower length of the river. These towns include Belchertown, Hardwick, New Salem, Pelham, Petersham, Shutesbury, Palmer, and Ware.
Current Status: The former settlement is now upon the construction of the Quabbin Reservoir, four additional towns in the valley were officially disincorporated, their area absorbed by surrounding municipalities. These towns are Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott.
Remarks: Visitors to Enfield (Submerged to form Quabbin Reservoir) often reflect on how quickly fortunes could change in frontier communities. The site serves as an important reminder of Massachusetts’s dynamic history and the transient nature of many early settlements.
Enfield, Massachusetts stands as one of the most poignant examples of community sacrifice for the greater good in New England’s history. Once a thriving town with a rich cultural heritage, Enfield now lies beneath the waters of the Quabbin Reservoir, intentionally submerged to create a water supply for Boston and surrounding communities. Its story represents the complex intersection of urban development, environmental management, and the human cost of infrastructure projects.
Origins and Early Development
Enfield was originally settled in the early 18th century as the south parish of the town of Greenwich in the Swift River Valley of central Massachusetts. The town was named after Robert Field, one of its earliest settlers, and was officially incorporated as its own municipality on February 15, 1816, after separating from Greenwich.
The town developed along the east branch of the Swift River, which provided water power for several mills and small factories. By the mid-19th century, Enfield had grown into a substantial community. The 1850 census recorded approximately 1,100 residents, making it one of the largest towns in the Swift River Valley region.
While primarily an agricultural community with numerous farms dotting its landscape, Enfield also developed a modest industrial sector. The town featured several textile mills and factories that provided employment for local residents. These industries, combined with the agricultural base, created a stable economic foundation that supported the community for generations.
Enfield’s town center developed into a classic New England village, complete with a town common surrounded by churches, public buildings, and stately homes. The town boasted several churches, schools, a library, and various businesses that served the local population. Notable structures included the Enfield Congregational Church, with its distinctive white steeple that dominated the town skyline, and the Swift River Hotel, which served as a social hub for the community.
Community Life and Culture
By the early 20th century, Enfield had developed a rich community life with various social organizations, cultural events, and traditions that bound residents together. The town maintained strong educational institutions, including several district schools and a high school that served the local youth.
Social life in Enfield centered around its churches, town hall, and various fraternal organizations. The town hosted regular dances, agricultural fairs, and holiday celebrations that brought the community together. Many families had lived in Enfield for generations, creating deep roots and connections to the land and to each other.
One of the most prominent families in Enfield was the Smith family, who owned a woolen mill in an area known as Smith Village. Marion Andrews Smith, born into this family, would later become a significant figure in preserving elements of Enfield’s heritage when the town faced its ultimate fate.
The community was also served by dedicated professionals like Dr. Willard Blossom Segur, a country doctor who provided medical care to the residents of Enfield and surrounding areas. Local businessman Edwin Henry Howe was another notable figure who contributed to the town’s economic and social development.
The Quabbin Reservoir Project and Displacement
The fate of Enfield and the other Swift River Valley towns began to take shape in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as Boston and its surrounding communities faced increasing water shortages. The rapidly growing urban population, combined with the advent of indoor plumbing, created an urgent need for expanded water resources.
The Massachusetts Board of Health had identified the Swift River Valley as a potential reservoir site as early as 1895. The Wachusett Reservoir, completed in 1905, had temporarily addressed Boston’s water needs but had only required the partial displacement of a few communities. As water demands continued to grow, planners turned their attention to the Swift River Valley for a more ambitious project.
In 1927, the Massachusetts legislature passed the Swift River Act, appropriating funds to construct what would become the Quabbin Reservoir. This legislation effectively sealed the fate of four towns: Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott. The state would use its power of eminent domain to acquire the land, requiring all residents to relocate and all structures to be removed or destroyed.
For the residents of Enfield, the news was devastating. Many families had lived in the town for generations and faced the prospect of losing not only their homes and livelihoods but also their community identity and connections. The state offered compensation for properties, but many residents felt the payments were inadequate and could not account for the intangible loss of community and heritage.
The process of displacement occurred gradually throughout the 1930s. Engineers and surveyors arrived first, followed by thousands of young men hired through various work programs to clear the landscape. As residents departed, their homes and buildings were either relocated, dismantled, or prepared for demolition.
Some residents, like Marion Smith, resisted the evacuation in small ways. Smith, who was 77 years old when forced to move, refused to be buried in the state-sponsored cemetery created for relocated graves. She held out until her home was taken by eminent domain, and then moved to the adjacent town of Ware. There, she built a new house incorporating salvaged elements from her grand 1896 Victorian home in Enfield, including floors, hardware, trim, and a grand staircase—preserving tangible pieces of her former community.
The Final Days
As the deadline for evacuation approached, the remaining residents of Enfield prepared for their final departure. On April 28, 1938, Enfield was officially disincorporated along with the other three towns in the Swift River Valley. The areas of Enfield that would remain above water were annexed to neighboring towns: Belchertown, New Salem, Pelham, and Ware.
Before the town was abandoned completely, the residents held a farewell ball in the town hall on April 27, 1938—the night before disincorporation. This poignant event, which lasted until 2 a.m., marked the final community gathering in Enfield’s history. Residents danced, shared memories, and said their goodbyes to the town that had been their home for generations.
After the residents departed, workers systematically dismantled the town. Every structure was either relocated, demolished, or burned. Trees and vegetation were cleared to the ground. Even the town’s cemeteries were affected, with approximately 6,600 graves from all four towns exhumed and relocated to the newly established Quabbin Park Cemetery in Belchertown.
By the time the Swift River was dammed in 1939 and the valley began to fill with water, little remained of Enfield and its neighboring towns. The reservoir took seven years to fill completely, from 1939 to 1946, gradually submerging the cleared landscape that had once been home to thriving communities.
Legacy and Remembrance
Today, the Quabbin Reservoir serves as the primary water supply for Boston and 40 surrounding communities, holding up to 412 billion gallons of water across 25,000 acres within a 120,000-acre protected watershed. While the reservoir has undoubtedly benefited millions of Massachusetts residents over the decades, the human cost of its creation continues to resonate with the descendants of those displaced.
For many descendants of Enfield residents, there remains a sense of loss and disconnection. As one descendant expressed in a documentary about the lost towns, “It feels like I lost my heritage.” Unlike residents of most abandoned or declining towns, the families from Enfield cannot return to visit their ancestral homes or show their children and grandchildren where their families once lived.
Efforts to preserve the memory of Enfield and the other lost towns began even before the communities were disincorporated. In 1936, the Swift River Valley Historical Society was founded to gather and preserve artifacts, records, and memories from the four towns. Today, this organization maintains a museum in New Salem that houses an extensive collection of items from Enfield and the other communities, including photographs, furniture, documents, and various memorabilia.
The physical remnants of Enfield lie beneath the waters of the Quabbin Reservoir, occasionally revealed during periods of drought when water levels drop significantly. The town’s main street ran along what is now the bottom of the reservoir, and the foundations of some buildings may still exist beneath the water.
The story of Enfield has been documented in various books, articles, and documentaries, including Elena Palladino’s “Lost Towns of the Swift River Valley” and the NBC documentary “The Dividing Scar: Massachusetts and the Four Lost Towns.” These works help ensure that the memory of Enfield and its residents persists despite the physical erasure of the community.
The Quabbin Reservoir area itself has become a place of natural beauty and ecological significance. The Department of Conservation and Recreation manages Quabbin Park on the southern shore, which includes the Quabbin Cemetery where the relocated graves from Enfield and other towns now rest. The protected watershed supports diverse wildlife and offers recreational opportunities such as hiking, fishing, and bird watching, though with strict regulations to preserve water quality.
While Enfield no longer exists as a physical community, its story continues to be told and remembered. The sacrifice of its residents—giving up their homes, their community, and their way of life for the greater good—represents a significant chapter in Massachusetts history and serves as a reminder of the complex human dimensions of infrastructure development and resource management.
Sources:
1. Harvard Magazine. “Journey into Quabbin Reservoir’s Hidden Past.” https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2023/08/quabbin-reservoir-lost-towns-elena-palladino
2. NBC Boston. “The Dividing Scar: Massachusetts and The Four Lost Towns.” https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/the-dividing-scar-massachusetts-and-the-four-lost-towns/2702103/
3. New England. “Lost Towns of the Quabbin Reservoir.” https://newengland.com/yankee/history/lost-towns-quabbin-reservoir/
4. Palladino, Elena. “Lost Towns of the Swift River Valley.” 2022.
5. Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. “History of the Quabbin Reservoir.” https://www.mass.gov/news/the-quabbin-reservoir-and-the-laws-that-shaped-it