Quabbin Reservoir Through Time

A visual timeline of the four Swift River Valley towns flooded to create Boston's Quabbin Reservoir through photographs and postcards.

During the 1930s, four Swift River Valley towns were abandoned and flooded during the creation of Quabbin Reservoir, Boston's water supply. Today, the reservation and other watershed lands are part of an extensive wilderness corridor that stands as a marked contrast with the landscape of the past. Historic photographs and postcards offer evidence of the valley's remarkable transformation.