New Salem, Massachusetts
New Salem Community Organizations
In a town of 983 the community organizations are not a garnish on civic life, they are load-bearing: keeping the record of the towns the Quabbin erased, conserving the farmland and forest around the reservoir, and running the library on Main Street. Every one of them takes volunteers.
History & Community
| Organization | What they do |
|---|---|
| Swift River Valley Historical Society | At 40 Elm Street in North New Salem, it preserves the artifacts, photographs, and records of the four Quabbin Valley towns dissolved in 1938: Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott. |
| New Salem Public Library | Books, programs, computers, and a card that works at libraries across Massachusetts, at 23 South Main Street. Interim Library Director Linda Chatfield, 978-544-6334. Its trustees are elected on the town ballot. |
Land & Conservation
| Organization | Notes |
|---|---|
| East Quabbin Land Trust | A regional land trust conserving farmland, forest, and waterways in the towns east of the Quabbin Reservoir, New Salem among them. |
| Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust | An Athol-based land trust conserving forest and farmland across north-central and western Massachusetts, including the Quabbin region. |
| Quabbin Reservoir Watershed | The state Department of Conservation and Recreation manages the watershed land along New Salem’s eastern edge, much of it open for walking and study. |
For current hours and a fuller list of town resources, see newsalemma.org.