Chester Sites

The CCC assisted in the development of this state forest. For example, according to a brochure and web page from the Jacob’s Ladder Scenic Byway: “Between 1933 and 1940 the Chester-Blandfield State Forest took shape thanks to the hard work of approximately one hundred and fifty young men who were part of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). With the Depression in full force, the CCC offered these young men work, regular pay, a place to live and the camaraderie of shared experiences. They came mostly from the Boston area, but also from local towns along Jacob’s Ladder Trail, and their...

The historic Chester Town Hall was constructed during the Great Depression with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a grant of $16,830 for the project, whose total cost was $39,713. Construction occurred March 1936 and Feb. 1937. PWA Docket No. MA W1031

Chester, Massachusetts is located along Route 20 in western Massachusetts, about 15 miles west of Westfield State University. It was a site along the Boston and Albany Railroad (B&A) from the mid 1800s due to the presence of quarries in the area and the town had a few small factories in the early 1900s. The population of Chester was approximately 1,400 in the early 1900s and remains almost exactly the same today. In 1935 a fire broke out in the Chester Town Hall and engulfed the entire building. The federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) contributed funds toward the rebuilding of the...