List of ghost towns in Massachusetts

Last updated June 09, 2024

An example of a "Babson Boulder" at Dogtown, Massachusetts Nevertry.jpg — An example of a "Babson Boulder" at Dogtown, Massachusetts

This is an incomplete list of ghost towns in Massachusetts . Ghost towns can include sites in various states of disrepair and abandonment. Some sites no longer have any trace of civilization and have reverted to pasture land or empty fields. Other sites are unpopulated but still have standing buildings. Some sites may even have a sizable, though small population, but there are far fewer citizens than in its grander historic past.

Classification

Barren site

Sites no longer in existence
Sites that have been destroyed
Covered with water
Reverted to pasture
May have a few difficult to find foundations/footings at most

Neglected site

Only rubble left
All buildings uninhabited
Roofless building ruins
Some buildings or houses still standing, but majority are roofless

Abandoned site

Building or houses still standing
Buildings and houses all abandoned
No population, except caretaker
Site no longer in existence except for one or two buildings, for example old church, grocery store

Semi-abandoned site

Building or houses still standing
Buildings and houses largely abandoned
Few residents
Many abandoned buildings
Small population

Historic community

Building or houses still standing
Still a busy community
Smaller than its boom years
Population has decreased dramatically, to one fifth or less.

List by county

Barnstable County

Long Point, also known as Provincetown, was built on a narrow and isolated peninsula on the far end of Cape Cod,^[1] and the isolated geography cut the town off from access to freshwater ^[2] and made it extremely vulnerable to ocean storms.^[3]
Whitewash Village

Franklin County

Hampshire County

Enfield, which was submerged to form Quabbin Reservoir
Greenwich, which was submerged to form Quabbin Reservoir
Prescott, which was submerged to form Quabbin Reservoir

Middlesex County

Haywardville, a mill town established in the mid-19th century. By 1870 it was deep in decline. In 1894 it was turned into a park and would become Middlesex Fells Reservation.^[4]

Worcester County

Dana, submerged to form Quabbin Reservoir

Notes and references

↑ A map of the extremity Of Cape Cod including the Townships of Provincetown & Truro: with a chart of their sea coast and of Cape Cod Harbour, State of Massachusetts (Map). 1 : 10,560. Cartography by U.S. Topographical Engineers, under direction of Maj. J.D. Graham; Reduced from orig. by Washington Hood. Bureau of U.S. Topographical Engineers. 1836. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
↑ "Historical Timeline of Provincetown, Massachusetts" (PDF). Town of Provincetown. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
↑ Vorse, Mary Heaton (1942). A. Heller, J. O'Brien (ed.). Time and the town: a Provincetown chronicle (reprint, illustrated ed.). New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. p. 87. ISBN 9780813517520 . Retrieved May 14, 2012.
↑ Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice (March 14, 2021). "Ghost Towns in Massachusetts". History of Massachusetts Blog. Retrieved February 13, 2023.

Related Research Articles

Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States Census, Provincetown has a summer population as high as 60,000. Often called "P-town" or "Ptown", the locale is known for its beaches, harbor, artists, tourist industry, and as a popular vacation destination for the LGBT+ community.

Provincetown Harbor is a large natural harbor located in the town of Provincetown, Massachusetts. The harbor is mostly 30 to 90 feet deep and stretches roughly 1 mile (1.6 km) from northwest to southeast and 2 miles (3.2 km) from northeast to southwest – one large, deep basin with no dredged channel necessary for boats to enter and exit.

The Quabbin Reservoir is the largest inland body of water in Massachusetts, United States, and was built between 1930 and 1939. Along with the Wachusett Reservoir, it is the primary water supply for Boston, 65 miles (105 km) to the east, and 40 other cities and towns in Greater Boston. The Quabbin also supplies water to three towns west of the reservoir and acts as backup supply for three others. By 1989, it supplied water for 2.5 million people, about 40% of the state's population at the time. It has an aggregate capacity of 412 billion US gallons (1,560 GL) and an area of 38.6 square miles (99.9 km²).

Long Point is a peninsula located in Provincetown, Massachusetts, United States, at the extreme tip of Cape Cod, as it curls back in on itself to create Provincetown Harbor. The Long Point Light was built on this point in 1827. The lighthouse once shared this peninsula with a settlement of fishermen that came to be known as Long Point, Massachusetts. This Provincetown village grew and thrived from 1818 until the late 1850s. When the settlers decided to leave Long Point, they took most of their houses with them – about 30 structures in all – by floating them across the harbor.

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[1836Map-1] A map of the extremity Of Cape Cod including the Townships of Provincetown & Truro: with a chart of their sea coast and of Cape Cod Harbour, State of Massachusetts (Map). 1 : 10,560. Cartography by U.S. Topographical Engineers, under direction of Maj. J.D. Graham; Reduced from orig. by Washington Hood. Bureau of U.S. Topographical Engineers. 1836. Retrieved June 2, 2012.

[PT-Hist-2] "Historical Timeline of Provincetown, Massachusetts" (PDF). Town of Provincetown. Retrieved May 1, 2012.

[Heaton-Vorse-3] Vorse, Mary Heaton (1942). A. Heller, J. O'Brien (ed.). Time and the town: a Provincetown chronicle (reprint, illustrated ed.). New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. p. 87. ISBN 9780813517520 . Retrieved May 14, 2012.

[4] Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice (March 14, 2021). "Ghost Towns in Massachusetts". History of Massachusetts Blog. Retrieved February 13, 2023.

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