Granville Reservoir Construction (Westfield Water Authority)

I would be very interested to learn about the building of the Granville Reservoir, as well as the roads that were seemingly abandoned across Old Westfield Road up on Sweetman and East Sweetman mountains.  There is a substantial area on both sides of the road that appears to have been alive with human activity, with many roads, stone foundations, retaining walls, and even a chimney that are still in good condition.  I'm wondering if these areas were abandoned in the 1920s or 1930s when the Cobble Mountain and Granville Reservoirs were built.

Mr. O'Keefe,

The areas surrounding the reservoirs were typically taken over via eminent domain for watershed purposes so the residents were given no choice but to leave, then the houses were torn down. If you look in the "Maps" Collection you can see the names of many families who were forced out. https://granvillehistory.omeka.net/collections/show/25 

You can also read the story of Northeast Granville at the link below. The online exhibit is still under construction but there is a wealth of information that will help answer your question about the Granville Reservoir. https://granvillehistory.omeka.net/exhibits/show/northeastgranville