"History of Lost Quabbin Towns" Living History Event

NCCHP's 2017 Living History series continued on Wednesday, August 23rd when longtime Quabbin Reservoir educator and photographer Dale Monette presented "Quabbin: Then and Now."

A full house was treated to Mr. Monette's incredible account and breathtaking photos of life before and after the construction of the reservoir. You had to be there to appreciate the amazing photographic work as the audience traveled through time with images fading from the past into the present, and back again. A brilliant and highly creative approach to a remarkable subject.

As things turned out, Mr. Monette happens to be a drummer and devotee of Noble & Cooley drums so he was thrilled to have had a tour of the drum factory before his presentation began. As he noted to the audience, "I'm still recovering from my amazement at this place. I'll never look at my drums the same way again."


A packed house gathered at NCCHP on August 23rd for "Quabbin: Then and Now" (NCCHP photo)

Dale Monette took State Department of Conservation and Recreation images shot in the 1930's from the Quabbin Reservoir archives and then took his own photos of the same spots for the displays. This gave visitors the opportunity to see how houses and scenes looked before and during construction of the reservoir and how those areas look now, some 80 years later. Many of the older images had never been seen by the public.

Monette specializes in nature photography, wildlife and landscapes. He was born and raised in Athol and since the early 1970's has lived within two miles of the reservoir, where he finds many of his subjects. An avid bird watcher since youth, Monette has hiked and fished at the Quabbin for years. During the 1980's he was involved in the successful efforts to bring back the common loons and bald eagles as nesting species to the Quabbin watershed.


(Dale Monette photo)

The free Living History programs at the NCCHP museum are made possible in part thanks to a grant from the Granville Cultural Council and by donations from members and friends of the museum. For more information visit www.ncchp.org or call 413-357-6321.

For more information on the 2017 Living History schedule, CLICK HERE.

The museum is open for tours from noon to 3 PM on the second and fourth Sundays of the month from May through October. Tours are available at other times by appointment.