The natural human resources of the Central Massachusetts towns north of the Quabbin Reservoir-as well as the huge reservoir itself-are deserving of more appreciation and attention than they usually receive.

Populated by hard-working and friendly men and women, these nine towns offer a pleasant and eminently practical mixture of commerce and industry, farmland and forest, countryside serenity and small-town bustle. A nature-lover’s paradise, the area has numerous sparkling ponds and streams and tens of thousands of acres of public lands.

Our purpose is to share the “secrets” and the long-standing traditions of this special place, with the dual purpose of introducing the area to visitors and potential newcomers while providing a handy and informative reference for residents.

These nine towns-Athol, Erving, New Salem, Orange, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Warwick, and Wendell-often seem to be the forgotten cousins of larger or better-publicized Massachusetts communities. This is not a resort area as such, and few who live here would want tourism to predominate, but there is much here to interest the visitor.

Cape Cod and the Berkshires are the state’s major vacation attraction, but those looking for an unusual out-of-the-way place to enjoy a day trip or a full-length vacation will find this “North of Quabbin” area free of crowds and trashy commercialism. Its beauty and point of interest may be less obvious but they are no less rewarding than those found in more established resort areas.

The Quabbin Reservoir-a man-made lake of 39 square miles plus a watershed of 80,000 acres-is intentionally given a little publicity by its owner, the Metropolitan District Commission, whose main job is to provide clean water to its customers. Those who know about the Quabbin’s lands and waters, however, can use them with endless pleasure and still obey all of the MDC’s long list of rules and regulations.

Several large state forests are found in this region, as are numerous properties owned by conservation groups such as the Trustees of Reservations. This is a place for people who love trees-the largest living things on earth-as they cover most of the craggy hills. Of these hundreds of hills, the highest is Mount Grace in Warwick, 1,617 feet above sea level, with an old tower offering hikers a great view. In homage to this peak, the nine-town area is sometimes called the Mount Grace Region-a name promoted by Edward T. Fairchild, former publisher of the Athol Daily News.

Some of these lands are wildlife sanctuaries, while others are open to hunting, fishing and trapping. There are many trails and roadways for hiking, snow shoeing, cross-country skiing, and travel by recreational vehicles.

The agencies who own these lands and the people who use them with respect and love are greatly concerned, however, with their abuse by those who are prone to spoil the countryside by making excess noise, failing to obey regulations and leaving behind littler. No welcome mat is set out for the polluters, the litterers and the other spoilers!

Who makes up approximately 24,000 people who live in these hills and valleys? For more than a century, the most important economic activity here has been manufacturing. There industries, primarily in Athol and Orange, provide employment for most of the people. Some of their product-in particular the measuring tools of the L.S. Starrett Company in Athol and the water treatment equipment made by the Rodney Hunt Company in Orange-are intentionally known for their outstanding quality.

The remaining seven towns can be termed “bedroom communities,” since their inhabitants travel for employment to Athol and Orange and places more distant. Especially in the 1970s and 1980s, as the United States experiences a population shift from the urban toward rural areas, newcomers are moving gradually into these communities. They come from throughout New England, as well as New York, New Jersey and more distant places; seeking the pleasures of traditional New England country living-and by and large they are not disappointed.

Prior to the more recent influx, the area’s population consisted of a mixture of traditional Yankees, French-speaking immigrants from Canada and some Europeans. Residents of area towns anticipate continued growth in population, and most hope for some new industries to locate here. However, only gradual, limited growth is seen as desirable and there is wariness of too much change. In general, newcomers are welcomed and easily integrated into community life, though there can be resentment of “outsiders” who move here with an attitude of superiority. The drama of the interaction between established residents and newcomers to an area is an ancient American one being replayed here in the 1970s and 1980s.

One aspect of there communities that appears to have universal respect is the tradition of New England democracy. Despite the considerable erosion of local autonomy by federal and state government, town meetings here make decisions affecting the lives of people. And despite some apathy, civic pride, and participation in community affairs are substantial. Area towns have direct town meeting government with the exception of Athol, which has a Town Charter. Each town, except Athol which elects five, elects three citizens to its board of selectmen, the highest body of government. There are various other elected and appointed town officials. The town clerk of each town can provide detailed information about various boards, their members and functions. New residents especially will find that town clerks are equipped to provide information about the rights and duties of residents and taxpayers.

Five of these towns (Erving, New Salem, Orange, Warwick, and Wendell) are in the Franklin County; the remaining four (Athol, Petersham, Phillipston and Royalston) are in the Worcester County-yet the county line does not seem relevant to many residents, especially those in the two largest towns, Athol and Orange. The centers of Athol and Orange-which serves the region’s needs for commerce and banking-are only five miles apart and the people of the two towns frequently interact.

The isolation of the nine towns is both a curse and a blessing. The towns have been “left alone” to their benefit, as the beauty of the villages and countryside attests, but sometimes to their detriment especially when economic stagnation is considered.

So near and yet so far, the state’s three largest cities, Boston, Worcester and Springfield-cannot claim any of these nine towns as “suburbs” Yet these cities are close enough-two hours or less to Boston, an hour or less to Springfield and Worcester-so that they can be visited regularly for shopping, cultural and sporting events and big city night life.

A similar dynamic exists in relation to several other communities, including Northampton, Amherst, Gardner, Greenfield, Fitchburg and Leominster; Brattleboro, Vermont; Keene and Peterborough, New Hampshire. All of these communities are less than an hour away, and they offer opportunities for employment, shopping, entertainment and education that are sometimes not available in the immediate area. They are distant enough-however, so that this region cannot be characterized as a satellite of any other place.

Residents of this area have easy access not only to the major cities of New England and New York but to all the spectacular outdoors of the United States Northeast-Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey Center, New Hampshire, the Northeast’s most popular climbing mountain, about an hour from here; the Berkshires and Cape Cod; Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard; the seacoast north of Boston in Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire (approximately two hour’s drive, for example, to resorts such as Hampton Beach and Ogunquit); the White Mountains and Lakes Region of New Hampshire, the Green Mountains of Vermont, and the Adirondacks and Catskills of New York.

Excerpt from North of Quabbin Revisited: A Guide to Nine Massachusetts Towns North of Quabbin Reservoir by Royalston resident Allen Young. Copyright 2003 by Allen Young
Available from Haley’s
P.O. Box 248
488 South Main St.
Athol, MA 01331
1-800-215-8805