When Elena Palladino moved into her new home in Ware in 2015, she learned of her house’s history and its original owner, Marion Andrews Smith. This in turn would lead her to Enfield, one of the four towns lost in the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir and the writing of her first book, “Lost Towns of the Swift River Valley: Drowned by the Quabbin.”
“I discovered that the house was built by Marion Andrews Smith, the last surviving member of a wealthy industrial family from Enfield,” said Palladino. There were rumors that Smith had the home moved from Enfield, Palladino said, but later she learned that she had actually taken pieces of her Enfield house including floors, doors, trim and the grand staircase, and used them to build the home in Ware, which was constructed by H.P. Cummings in 1938-1939. Smith moved into her new home in the summer of 1939.
“I started to do some research on Marion Smith,” Palladino continued. Smith’s family owned a mill called the Swift River Manufacturing Co., which made woolens and fancy Cassimeres, a type of twilled fabric used in suits. “They used the wool to make suits. It was quality material,” Palladino continued.
Smith’s grandfather and his brother started the mill, then her father and uncle ran it. When they died, Smith’s two brothers ran it and sold it in 1912.
“Smith was the last surviving member of the family; she never married or had children,” Palladino said. Smith was very active in Enfield town affairs, serving as a charter member and inaugural president of the Quabbin Club, was president of the Library Association, trustee of the Congregational Church, and more. She was in her 70s when she had to leave her home in Enfield, which she never sold to the state; instead, it was taken by eminent domain, Palladino said.
Palladino’s nonfiction book about Smith also highlights two other Enfield residents: Dr. Willard Seguar, a country doctor, and Edwin Henry Howe, the postmaster and general store proprietor, said Palladino. “Segur was born in Talmadge, Ohio. He attended Princeton and Dartmouth. He opened his medical practice in Enfield in 1895 and was the valley’s beloved country doctor,” Palladino said.
Palladino said she did most of her research at local archives, especially the Swift River Valley Historical Society, where she is a board member. Palladino was also able to connect with Smith’s housekeeper and chauffeur’s daughter, Marian Tryon Waydaka, who had lived with Smith in Enfield and Ware as a child. She used personal papers and photos from the Tryon family as well as interviews with Segur and Howe’s family members, and oral history interviews kept by the Swift River Valley Historical Society and the Friends of Quabbin.
“Dr. Segur served as the chairman of the board of selectmen in 1938 when the town was disincorporated. In his role as president of Enfield’s Volunteer Firemen’s Association, Segur planned the Farewell Ball for the four towns, which was held in Enfield on April 27, 1938. Segur also led the moment of silence at midnight when the towns were officially disincorporated and ceased to exist. Marion and Edwin also attended the ball,” Palladino continued.
All three of these Enfield residents moved to Ware in 1938, all dying within a few years of relocating, she continued. They all chose to be buried outside of Quabbin Park Cemetery, the state-sponsored cemetery for valley people, because they were bitter toward the state, said Palladino.
Palladino’s book is told through the perspective of these three residents in four sections. The first section discusses Enfield as it was, focusing on the town’s centennial celebration in 1916; the second section focuses on Boston’s need for water. The third section focuses on the destruction of the valley and the fourth section talks about these residents’ time in Ware.
“Lost Towns of the Swift River Valley: Drowned by the Quabbin,” will be published by History Press, a division of Arcadia Press, in the Fall of 2022. Pallandino’s website is https://quabbinhouse.com and her instagram is QuabbinHouse.
Carla Charter is a freelance writer from Phillipston. Her writing focuses on history with a particular interest in the history of the North Quabbin area. Contact her at cjfreelancewriter@earthlink.net.