In Bancroft, a village of Becket the railroad pushes up towards Washington after leaving Chester Factories. The massive piles of stone are in the tree line from the rock cutting needed to build the Western Railroad. The old telegraph line remnants lie here. This route was previously the Pontoosuc Turnpike and it was used almost parallel to it to run the railroad tracks. Orrin Sage’s letter:

Gentn
Blandford Sept. 6, 1827
I understand that the Railway Commission were at Col. Henrys in Chester on Monday last and were about to explore the Route up the Brook towards Pittsfield as they will probably explore a more southern Route before long, I would suggest to you, that I believe a Route west of Chaffee’s to the west part of Town may be found preferable to any one that has yet been explored – It is to commence rising the hill at or near the Green Water Pond so calld West of Chaffees keeping on the side of the hill to near Doct Soles and to Kendall Baird’s in Becket, where will be about or nearly the highest of ground between Chaffees and the west part of this Town From there the Route can be kept near where the “Hampden and Berkshire Turnpike” is in Blandford on very level ground There will be no hill or obstruction of consequense From Collisters and indeed from two miles west of there they can keep a Brook to Sackets in the west part of Westfield. I believe Mr. Morgan of your place viewd the souteast part of this Route last fall I presume a better route can be found in this direction then to go as far south as Lymans in Otis and then cross the hill Lyman Brown Esq. of Sandisfield has explored this Route from Collisters west with a view of giving terms to make the Turnpike and has said it was much more level than he had thought a Route could have been found across the mountain and thought some effort ought to be made to get the Rail Road Comm. to view it – If they can get to Kendall Bairds without too much rise I presume there can be no difficulty on this part of the Route.

As it is the interest of all to get the best Route I hope that the one I have mentioned may be viewed and if it shall not appear to be the best I shall be satisfied to have it take some other course It must I should think be the shortest If you can give us notice when the Commissioners are proceeding this way we should be very glad to accompany them through this or adjoining Towns

As you are so much engagd with the Railway – you may perhaps think that the making of the Turnpike I have spoken of is not worthy of Consideration I will however just mention how it now stands We have proposed for making the most of it and have found that the whole expense of making it from Mallings in Russell to Kendall Bairds in Becket.
Courtesy Becket Historical Society

It’s all railroad this week in honor of the Amherst Railroad Hobby Show – West-Springfield, MA this Saturday and Sunday (hikers at the table) join us and the Chester Railway Museum/Friends of the Keystone Arches at the Big E for the biggest train show in the country! https://amherstrail.org/

#hikethehilltownhistory
#hikethehilltowns with the #westernmasshilltownhikers #discoverthehilltowns #visitthehills #hilltownhistory #flashhike #intheberkshires #nature #adventure #history #hiking #outdooradventures #visittheberkshires #mylocalMA #visitma #hilltownhikers #westernmass #hikingwithdogs
Visit our blog for all of our adventures! want to come along on these hikes? Become a member at www.hilltownhikers.com
Help conserve the Chester Granite Saw, our newest property! https://www.pledge.to/help-conserve-the-chester-granite-saw
Text HILLTOWNHIKERS to 707070 to donate.
www.hilltownhikers.com