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Glendale Falls (Massachusetts)

1964 establishments in MassachusettsHampshire County, Massachusetts geography stubsLandforms of Hampshire County, MassachusettsMassachusetts geography stubsNortheastern United States protected area stubs
Open space reserves of MassachusettsProtected areas established in 1964Protected areas of Hampshire County, MassachusettsThe Trustees of ReservationsWaterfalls of Massachusetts

Glendale Falls is a waterfall and the name of an open space preserve in Middlefield, Massachusetts owned and managed by the Trustees of Reservations. The falls, fed by the waters of Glendale Brook are one of the longest waterfall runs in Massachusetts. Adjacent to the falls on the north side lies the stone foundation of an 18th-century grist mill operated by the long-defunct Glendale Farm. The farm was established in the early 1770s by a future Revolutionary War veteran named John Rhoads. The initial success of the farm led to the construction of what is now Clark Wright Road, the sole means of accessing the falls by car. The farm was not successful for long, however; by 1799 the property was sold and Rhoads was gone. The preserve was established in 1964.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Glendale Falls (Massachusetts) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Glendale Falls (Massachusetts)
Glendale Falls Path,

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Latitude Longitude
N 42.350833333333 ° E -72.966111111111 °
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Glendale Falls

Glendale Falls Path
01243
Massachusetts, United States
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Western Railroad Stone Arch Bridges and Chester Factory Village Depot
Western Railroad Stone Arch Bridges and Chester Factory Village Depot

The Western Railroad Stone Arch Bridges and Chester Factory Village Depot is a National Historic Landmark District extending through parts of the towns of Chester, Middlefield, and Becket, Massachusetts. It encompasses a section of the historic Western Railroad railbed, two stone bridges constructed in the 1840s under the direction of George Washington Whistler, and the c. 1862 railroad depot in the village of Chester Factory, which served the railroad as an important logistics point for the difficult crossing of The Berkshires to the west. The section of railroad was the most expensive the company had to build, costing over $1 million in 1840. A hiking trail providing viewing points to the lower seven bridges was opened in 2004. All of the bridges are viewable via whitewater-appropriate watercraft from the river. These properties were designated a National Historic Landmark in 2021, in recognition of its importance in the development of railroad technologies. The graded crossing of the hills between Chester and the New York state line was an engineering challenge on a scale that had not previously been attempted by railroad engineers, and its success proved the ability of railroads to traverse steep grades using just friction. The railroad was also the first inter-regional railroad, connecting the network of eastern New England to that of upstate New York. The Chester Factory depot was an important stopping point for the railroad, where additional engines were added to westbound trains prior to traversing the steeper grades to the west. The Chester Factory depot is a contributing element of the Chester Factory Village Historic District. The two stone bridges included in the landmark designation, as well as the historic roadbed, are part of the Middlefield–Becket Stone Arch Railroad Bridge District; the bridges are listed as numbers 5 and 6 in that collection.

Middlefield–Becket Stone Arch Railroad Bridge District
Middlefield–Becket Stone Arch Railroad Bridge District

The Middlefield–Becket Stone Arch Railroad Bridge District is a historic district extending through parts of the towns of Chester, Middlefield, and Becket, Massachusetts. The district encompasses a 3.7-mile (6.0 km) stretch of railroad right of way in which there are ten bridge crossings, including nine over the west branch of the Westfield River. The bridges were built in four time periods: 1840, 1866, 1912, and 1928. Nine of the ten bridges are stone or concrete masonry work, and one is a truss girder bridge. All are, with only minor exceptions, in excellent and original condition. The bridges were built to carry the Western Railroad through on its run from the Connecticut River to the Hudson River. This section of railroad was the most expensive the company had to build, costing over $1 million in 1840. The 1840 bridges were designed by George Washington Whistler, and constructed by the firm of Alexander Birney. Of the original nine stone bridges built, only three survive, all of which are now out of service. Some of the bridges were either demolished or encased in concrete during work performed in 1912 and 1927, and one bridge was demolished in 1927. One of the listed bridges (#4) was built of concrete in 1912, adjacent to one of the 1840 stone bridges (#3) that was taken out of service. The one steel truss bridge was built in 1912 by the Pennsylvania Steel Company. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. A hiking trail providing viewing points to the lower seven bridges was opened in 2004. All of the bridges are viewable via whitewater-appropriate watercraft from the river.

Ringville Cemetery
Ringville Cemetery

Ringville Cemetery is a historic cemetery on Witt Hill Road in the hamlet of Ringville, part of Worthington, Massachusetts. The roughly 3-acre (1.2 ha) cemetery was established in 1866, when the town purchased 0.75 acres (0.30 ha) from Ethan Ring. The cemetery was quickly expanded over the next twenty years, reaching a size of 2 acres (0.81 ha). In the 1970s the town purchased an additional acre, giving the cemetery its present size. Ringville, the village in which it lies, was in the 19th century the industrial heart of Worthington, supporting a number of mills.The cemetery lies on a rise above and south of Witt Hill Road, about 0.25 miles (0.40 km) from Massachusetts Route 112. A stone retaining wall lines the front of the cemetery. It is topped by large quarried granite stones, with two vehicular entrances, and two locations where steps are formed in the wall to provide access to the cemetery grounds. The main stair, in the center of the wall, was given a decorative iron gate c. 1900.Despite the 1866 establishment of the cemetery, its earliest grave markers have dates from the 1810s. These graves were supposedly moved here from the Ireland Street Cemetery in neighboring Chesterfield; there is evidence of family connections between the two areas. Its most prominent marker is the Blair Vault, located in the northwestern corner, near the front wall. This brick and granite structure bears the inscription "Presented by Clara D. Blair in memory of her husband David Blair." The cemetery is in active use by the town. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Chester Factory Village Historic District
Chester Factory Village Historic District

The Chester Factory Village Historic District is a historic district encompassing the historic village of Chester Factories in Chester, Massachusetts. Chester was settled in the 1760s, and the factory village was a location where water power was harnessed at an early time for grist mills and sawmills. The village got its name from the Chester Glass Factory, which operated in the area through the War of 1812. It benefited from the construction of a turnpike (now United States Route 20) leading to Chester Center in 1804, and was transformed by the arrival of the railroad around 1840. The village became an important provisioning stop for trains, and the village further benefited by the fact that the railroad bypassed Chester Center. The economic and civic life of the town gradually shifted, and Chester Factories is where the town hall and library were built. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The district is roughly bounded by Middlefield Road, River, Main, and Maple Streets, US 20, and Williams Street. The southern boundary is roughly US 20, with the tracks formerly of the Western Railroad the boundary to the northeast. There are some older houses in the area along US 20, while more intensive industrial development took place along the Westfield River branch which runs between the two transportation routes. The village's greatest period of growth was between 1879 and 1915, when the production of abrasive materials, and granite quarrying and cutting operations became major industries. The Fay's Clothing Store, built in 1896, is at three stories the village's tallest building.

South Worthington Historic District
South Worthington Historic District

The South Worthington Historic District is a historic district encompassing the formerly industrial, but now rural, village of South Worthington, Massachusetts. The village is centered on the junction of Huntington Road (Massachusetts Route 112), Ireland Street, and Thrasher Hill Road. The district extends along Ireland Road as far as Conwell Road, and one contributing element, the dam which impounds Little Galilee Pond, extends into neighboring Chesterfield. The area had a number of small mills along the banks of the Little River, a tributary of the Westfield River, but only one complex, the Theron Higgins Mill on South Worthington Road, has survived from the 19th century. Most of the buildings in the district are residences dating to the 19th century; also included are three churches, including the particularly elegant Greek Revival South Worthington Methodist Church (1848). The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.The South Worthington area first developed as a modest agricultural area in the 1760s. A falls in the Little River proved a good location for a sawmill, which was standing by 1794, and followed by a grist mill in 1812. The village flourished as a service center for the local farmers, and additional mills survived for a time in the 19th century, one of which was used to manufacture window blinds. The first church was built in 1828; the building, which still stands, was later used as a general store and as a school, after the present Greek Revival church was built. The village also achieved some notice as the birthplace and summer home of Russell Conwell (1843-1925), a famous Baptist minister and writer who founded Temple University. Conwell's summer stays in the house of his youth brought visitors to the community. Conwell's association with the village is commemorated by boulder with a plaque mounted on it near that house, 42 Conwell Road.