Petersham (CDP), Massachusetts

Petersham is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,194 at the 2020 census. Petersham is home to a considerable amount of conservation land, including the Quabbin Reservation, Harvard Forest, the Swift River Reservation, and Federated Women's Club State Forest.

The Petersham Common Historic District encompasses the historic town center of Petersham, Massachusetts. Laid out in 1733 and centered on the town common bounded by Main and Common Streets, it retains most of its 19th-century character, with only a few turn-of-the-20th-century civic buildings adding later character. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.Buildings within the district include the Petersham Memorial Library. The Nichewaug Inn formerly occupied the district until its demolition in 2022.

The Prescott Town House is a historic former town hall on MA 32 in Petersham, Massachusetts. The building was built in 1838 in a Greek Revival style and served as the town hall for Prescott, Massachusetts, a town that was unincorporated in order to make way for the Quabbin Reservoir in the 1930s. The town house was moved to Petersham, where it is now located on a hill above a hay meadow north of the town center. This move was funded by Judge John Monroe Woolsey, who used the building as a law library and office.The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

The Holland–Towne House is a historic house in Petersham, Massachusetts. Built in c. 1752 by Jonas Holland, it is one of the town's four surviving colonial-era houses. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

North Common Meadow is a 25-acre (10 ha) open space preserve in the town of Petersham, Massachusetts. The property, part of a larger, contiguous area of protected open space including Harvard Forest and The Trustees of Reservations' Brooks Woodland Preserve, is maintained as grassland in keeping with the town's rural character. The preserve, acquired in 1975 by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations, is suitable for hiking, horseback riding, picnicking, and cross country skiing; it is also maintained as habitat for ground nesting birds such as the bobolink, red-winged blackbird, and eastern meadowlark. Access to North Common Meadow is located off Massachusetts Route 32 and East Street in Petersham center.

The Brooks Woodland Preserve is a 558-acre (226 ha) open space preserve located in Petersham, Massachusetts. The property, named after industrialist and diplomat James Wilson Brooks, is managed by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations and offers 13 miles (21 km) of trails and primitive woods roads available for hiking, horseback riding, and cross country skiing. Second growth forest, overgrown farm fields, granite ledges, historic stone walls, creeks, and rolling hills characterize the preserve. The property is divided into three contiguous parcels, the Roaring Brook Tract, Swift River Tract, and Connor's Pond Tract. Trailheads are located off Massachusetts Route 32, East Street, Oliver Street and Quaker Drive in Petersham. A network of trails runs between the tracts and abutting conservation land. Moccasin Brook and the East Branch of the Swift River pass through the center of the preserve.

Gay Farm is a historic colonial house located on the north side of Nichewaug Hill in Petersham, Massachusetts. Built in 1740 by William Negus, the house is the oldest surviving building in Petersham. Negus' family owned the home until 1819, when Joel Stearns purchased the property. Thomas Stevens Howe, great grandson of William Negus, purchased the home in 1847 and lived there until his death in 1893. His daughter Elizabeth and her husband Charles M. Gay lived in the house during their lifetimes, giving it its current name. Not having any children, the home then passed to their relative Lewis H. Babbitt and his wife Corinne who lived out their lives there. The farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

The District No. 4 School, also known as the First East School or Ledgeville School, is an historic school building at 191 East Road in Petersham, Massachusetts. Built in 1846, it is one of the town's older surviving district school buildings, and now serves as a local community hall. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

The Swift River Reservation is a 439-acre (178 ha) open space preserve located in Petersham, Massachusetts, United States. The property, named after the East Branch of the Swift River (a tributary of the Ware River), is managed by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations and offers 7 miles (11 km) of trails available for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and cross country skiing. Ledges, river corridor, woodlands, scenic vistas, and wetlands characterize the preserve. The property is divided into three contiguous parcels, the Slab City Tract, Davis Tract, and Nichewaug Tract. Trailheads are located off Massachusetts Route 32/122, Glen Valley Road, and Nichewaug Road in Petersham. A network of trails runs between the Davis and Nichewaug tracts; the Slab City tract is not connected to the other two parcels via trail. The East Branch of the Swift River passes through the Slab City and Nichewaug tracts.

Harvard Forest is an ecological research area of 3,000 acres (12 km2) owned and managed by Harvard University and located in Petersham, Massachusetts. The property, in operation since 1907, includes one of North America's oldest managed forests, educational and research facilities, a museum, and recreation trails. Harvard Forest is open to the public.