Quabbin exhibit brings reservoir’s past, present to Statehouse

BOSTON — “Quabbin – Yesterday and Today” is an exhibit documenting the Quabbin Reservoir through photographs of the area, from both the modern day and before the reservoir was created. The photographs and accompanying captions are on display in the Massachusetts Statehouse Senate Gallery until the end of May.

The historical photographs are credited to the Digital Commonwealth/Massachusetts State Archives, while the contemporary photographs were taken by Belchertown-based nature photographer Ed Comeau.

Comeau works with the Quabbin Watershed Stewards, an advocacy group comprised of representatives from the 12 towns in the Quabbin Reservoir watershed. Sen. Jacob Oliveira, D-Ludlow, often works with the group, and Comeau conceived of the exhibit while talking to members of Oliveira’s staff.

“The big problem we have is that so many people, essentially east of the Quabbin, really don’t know where their water comes from. If you talk to many in Boston, they really don’t know where it comes from,” said Comeau in an interview with the Gazette. “It was a great opportunity to try to bring attention to an often forgotten area of the state for the legislators back East.”

He adds, “That’s a gorgeous part of the state. Just sitting out there with my camera, waiting for the sun to rise or waiting for an animal across in front of me, it’s just so much beauty out here. It’s gone under-appreciated.”

The natural beauty of the reservoir and the surrounding area is not the only thing that prompted Comeau to create the exhibit; he also wants to draw visitors’ attention to the history surrounding the creation of the reservoir, including the four towns that were destroyed and the thousands of people that were displaced in order to create the Quabbin.

According to Comeau, the historical photographs provide important context through which visitors should view the reservoir. “Not only is this what the Quabbin looks like today, but this is what it took to make it,” said Comeau.

“Right now, it’s a beautiful, pristine area, which my contemporary photos from today show you. But the process that it went into making it back then and having to either tear down or move all these homes, the engineering is amazing,” said Comeau. “It’s all gravity fed to Boston from there, and I find the engineering part of it amazing, especially given the technology of the time.”

Four towns — Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott — occupied the land that is now dominated by the largest inland body of water in Massachusetts. Despite their opposition, residents of those towns had to give up their homes and their land to the state in order to construct the reservoir.

“It really was unfortunate for these people. They didn’t have much say in Boston at all, they didn’t have much support. They tried suing the state and blocking it, obviously, unsuccessfully. But on the other hand, Boston needs water,” said Comeau. “Boston was a big, powerful entity, and it got what it wanted.”

The exhibit takes visitors through the years-long process of constructing the reservoir, displaying both what was lost and what was gained in its creation. It was funded through a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council that went to the Friends of the Quabbin, another advocacy group supporting conservation efforts in the area, and is sponsored by Sen. Oliveira.

“Whether you’re planning a trip to the State House during school vacation week or just looking for a reason to stop by Beacon Hill, this exhibit offers a terrific opportunity to connect with a defining piece of Western Massachusetts history,” said Oliveira in a statement.

For those interested in seeing the exhibit without having to travel to Boston, Comeau plans on creating a traveling exhibit using additional photographs from both himself and the Digital Commonwealth/Massachusetts State Archives.

“I’m actually putting more photographs together right now that will be going on the road to various libraries as exhibits as well,” said Comeau. “Some of these libraries are going to be out here, some will be back East. Whoever’s really interested in having them exhibited, we’ll be glad to share with them.”

Comeau will also be present at the Statehouse for a reception hosted by Oliveira on Tuesday, May 5.

“Today, those of us who live out here feel underserved by Boston. The joke is always ‘anything west of 495, nobody in Boston knows about,’” said Comeau. “And this is another way to say ‘look, we’re important to the success of Boston out here.’”