- Lost Towns of the Swift River Valley: Drowned by the Quabbin
- Wednesday, December 6, 2023. 12pm - 1:00pm
- State Library of Massachusetts - Room 341, Massachusetts State House
- Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/user/mastatelib
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Please join us on Wednesday, December 6th at noon, in our historic reading room to hear Elena Palladino speak on her 2022 book, Lost Towns of the Swift River Valley: Drowned by the Quabbin. For anyone who cannot make it into the library, we will be livestreaming the talk on our YouTube channel, courtesy of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Broadcast Services.
About the book: In 1938, four Massachusetts towns were disincorporated, evacuated, and flooded to accommodate the construction of the Quabbin Reservoir. The reservoir was the solution to providing Boston and the State’s metropolitan areas with fresh drinking water. In Lost Towns of the Swift River Valley, Palladino tells the story of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott, the towns which were sacrificed to make room for the Quabbin. Through archival research, Palladino recounts the history of these communities through three townspeople of the Swift River Valley: Marion Smith, a woman from a wealthy manufacturing family, William Segur, the country doctor, and Edwin Howe, postmaster and general store owner. Palladino brings life and feeling to these communities that once were thriving and home to many.
About the author: Elena Palladino is a Massachusetts native, growing up in Sturbridge and now residing in Ware. Palladino’s family lives in Marion Smith’s former home, which sparked her interest in the history of the Quabbin. Palladino holds a BA degree in English from Simmons College, an MA in literary and cultural studies from Carnegie Mellon University and an EdM in higher education from Harvard University. She currently works in higher education in Western Massachusetts and also sits on the board of directors for the Swift River Valley Historical Society and Friends of Quabbin. For more on Palladino and her “Quabbin House” visit this page.
If you are able to join us in person for this talk, attendees will be able to participate in a question-and-answer session with the author as well as purchase a copy of the book for $24.00 (payments can be made via Venmo or cash). As always, this author talk is free and open to all. Assisted listening devices will be made available upon request. Any questions or concerns, please email us.
In
addition, now on display is the State Library’s new annual exhibit: The Four Lost Towns of the Quabbin
Reservoir. We invite you to visit the library (room 341 of the State House)
to view the exhibit and learn more about the towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich,
and Prescott. A few highlights of the exhibit include Prescott’s last Annual
Town Report, a picture from Greenwich’s last town meeting, and documents from
the Metropolitan District Water Supply Commission, the state agency responsible
for the reservoir. The State Library is open Monday - Friday, 9-5, and the full
exhibit is also available to view on Flickr!
If you are able to join us in person for this talk, attendees will be able to participate in a question-and-answer session with the author as well as purchase a copy of the book for $24.00 (payments can be made via Venmo or cash). As always, this author talk is free and open to all. Assisted listening devices will be made available upon request. Any questions or concerns, please email us.
Author Talks Working Group