The Wachusett Dam & Reservoir
Before There Was A Dam©
How they built it and what became of the people who lived there
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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
3.29.26
West Boylston Old Town
Lower Village & Clarendon Mills
West Boylston Old Town
Lower Village
West Boylston had a commercial center which was devoid of public buildings and churches like the other areas. What it did have was a major county crossroads, a train station, thriving small businesses and…a large, mutually supportive textile mill.
Known as the Lower Village, or Lower Common, it was centered around a pleasant little fenced in park with a bandstand, and other entertainments.
Be sure to have a look at the other articles in this series at West Boylston Old Town.
Thanks,
Paul
3.17.26
The Underwater Rail Road
Not much detail remains in the archives about the railroad that was abandoned under the Wachusett Reservoir, the records having been discarded. Here is a collection of photographs taken along that scenic route before the construction activities began. Later this year (hopefully) I will fill out this story with a tour of rural life that existed there and how the contractors made use of the old line to haul vast amounts of material from around the country to build the dam.
Thanks,
Paul
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email: paul@pmarrone.com