Wachusett Dam and Reservoir – Before There Was A Dam

The Wachusett Dam & Reservoir

Before There Was A Dam©

How they built it and what became of the people who lived there

©beforetherewasadam.com

Scheduled Presentations

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4.16.26

Hidden Hydraulics at the Dam

Path of the Water Through the Dam

This presentation was given to an audience of engineers (my peers) at the Metropolitan Water Resources Authority in Chelsea, Mass. on April 16, 2026. The Authority wanted introduce the younger engineers to the systems of the Wachusett Dam.

Included are a few subtle hydraulic tricks the original engineers designed in and the main piping from the Reservoir to the Nashua River, ending with a short video of the Maximum Flow Test. (300 million gallons per day).

I hope you like it.

Thanks,

Paul

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4.09.26

Metropolitan Water Works of 1895

Tour of the Facilites

This lecture was presented to the engineers and staff working at the MWRA to better illustrate the scope of the various parts of that great system and how they interacted.

Progress is charted from the low point at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir through to the very highest elevation in Oakdale, the whole of which was completed in a little over ten years.

An introductory perspective Boston’s water system developments, before and since, is provided by John Gregoire, Senior Program Manager, Reservoir Operations Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.

Thanks,

Paul

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6.22.26

Lecture Series

West Boylston Old Town

Part 3 The Lower Village

In the West Boylston in 1896 a thriving commercial center was located on the major crossroads of Prospect Street and East Main Street.

This busy hub held the West Boylston Railroad Station, livery stables, hotels and inns, provision markets, pharmacy, meeting hall, general store and…a saloon. There was also a noticeable absence of schools and churches. The residents were chiefly businessmen (and women) and factory workers, both transient and landed.

Today this neighborhood is completely submerged by the Wachusett Reservoir. Its location will be seen from the causeway, stretching off over a mile to the town line with Boylston.

This story will give a sense of the appearance of West Boylston Lower Village.

Thanks,

Paul

Lower Village…from bridge

Lower Common

Clarendon Mills

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5.15.26

Lecture Series

An 1895 Tour up the Nashua River Valley via River, Road & Rail

A tour of the valley through Boylston and West Boylston, appearing quite bucolic at times, before the coming of the Wachusett Reservoir changed everything.

My friends at the Northborough Historical Society expressed an interest in expanding their knowledge of the Wachusett Dam project, as the Wachusett Aqueduct already passes through their town.

Here is a recording of the presentation they received on May 15, 2026 where a good time was had by all.

Thanks,

Paul

Sawyer’s Mills

West Boylston Station

Catholic & Baptist Churches

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See for Yourself!

Source Documents for this site – 8,000+ Images

Explore the wide array of contemporary photographs, available in the public domain, that were used for the articles presented here.

https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/collections/commonwealth:g732dh56k

email: paul@pmarrone.com