One very cold and windy day in the late February, I went to the Old Stone Church in West Boylston. The abandoned but well preserved church on the bank of the Wachusett Reservoir is a few remnants from the period before the arrival of the Wachusett Dam. On that day, I really wanted to visit other reservoir related structures, alas it was way tooooo cold.
I had waited until spring comes; on one sunny and warm day in March, I finally went to the Wachusett dam, the Clinton Tunnel, and the Wachusett Aqueduct. First, I'll show you the Wachusett Dam.
The construction of the dam began in 1897 and completed in 1905 (the plaque at the dam says it was in 1906.) Communities along the Nashua River in the towns of Boylston, Clinton, Sterling, and West Boylston were impounded and the dam was filled in 1908 to provide water for the growing, thirsty metropolis.
At the time of the completion, this public reservoir with 21mile (34km) shore length was the world biggest of the kind. Though the completion of the Quabbin Reservoir in 1939 meant the Wachusett to be relegated to the second.
Immigrant workers were hailed from Italy. Today, many descendants of the workers reside in the area. And look, the stone arch above is still looking study and beautiful even 100 years later.
Ok, let's head to the Clinton Tunnel. I was really exited about the tunnel and wanted to go as soon as possible. But...look at the steps in the below photo. As I was climbing up the stone steps, I remembered why I hate running; it's exactly the feeling of being drowned. My throat began to taste like blood... I'm awfully out of shape.
I've heard some people experience the Clinton Tunnel stretches while they are exploring inside of the tunnel. But I refute; the steps are the paranormal object that stretches!
I sat down on the lawn leaving only 20 steps to go. That damn 20 steps... I drank water and realized why my mouth tasted like blood; ughhh I bit myself.
What are those stone foundations in the water? The answer is in next post: Clinton Tunnel, Clinton. Here's a hint:
Locate Wachusett Dam @ Google Map
West Boylston Historical Society: http://www.wbhistory.org/history.htm
History: Wachusett: http://www.mwra.state.ma.us/04water/html/hist4.htm
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