A Vestige of a Submerged Town – West Boylston, MA

Feature image courtesy of Wikipedia.org.

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In West Boylston, on the shores of the Wachusett Reservoir, there’s a very interesting site: an old, abandoned stone church.
The church is right on the water. Clearly, it was worthy of a closer look.

In front of the church, there was plaque. I thought maybe this could shed light on why this random, stone structure was here, so I went to investigate.
According to the plaque, this is an old Baptist church, originally built in 1892 to replace a former building that was lost in a fire. But the last service was held in 1902. This new, stone church served as a house of worship for only ten years.
Why?
Well, we can thank the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for that one. Back in the day, the Boston metropolitan area had a water shortage.  To make a long story short, the legislator decided to form the Wachusett Reservoir, which flooded and destroyed parts of Boylston, West Boylston, Clinton, and Sterling.
At least the state gave the congregation $22,500 for its trouble, which back then was a good amount of money.

It’s safe to go into the church and explore. Just make sure you’re aware of the pigeons. It’s their home now, and they won’t let you forget it.

Around the church, there’s an area where you can fish or just sit and enjoy the peaceful stillness of the reservoir.
Before returning up the short path, I spent a moment to silently salute the lost, underwater sections of the four towns.

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The Old Stone Bridge is in West Boylston, MA, on Route 140. There’s parking off the road right next to this sign.

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