A River Valley Transformed

A River Valley Transformed. . , The Saville Dam and Barkhamsted Reservoir supplies water to the greater Hartford area and brought big changes to the towns of Barkhamsted and Hartland., Before the dam came, the valley was mostly farms and a few small villages along the east branch of the Farmington River. The reservoir displaced about 1,000 people who had to sell and move. Roads were relocated, cemeteries moved, houses and barns burned and the valley cleared of trees., Much of the hillside watershed was also purchased, contributing to the reservoir's high water quality., The towns of Barkhamsted and Hartland were split in half by the 8 mile long reservoir, which caused the town hall centers to be relocated. The two towns do not receive drinking water from the Barkhamsted Reservoir., The lower reservoir, Lake McDonough (Richard's Corner Dam), was constructed in 1918. It is not used for drinking water but to help regulate stream flow in the Farmington River., (Photo captions) , Stratton farm in Hartland, circa 1930., Barkhamsted Center Cemetery , relocating graves, 1939. Reservoir seen in background at left., Saville Dam construction , 1938. Spillway in foreground, gatehouse at center., The Saville Dam gatehouse design was influenced by the Little Maplestead Church in Essex, England. The church was built about 1335., Caleb Mills Saville, chief engineer of the MDC water company., Church and farm scene in Barkhamsted Hollow, circa 1880., Barkhamsted Hollow store (at left) and Merrill Tavern, circa 1930., (Timeline) , 1918 , Richard's Corner Dam completed , 1927 , Land purchases begin , 1933 , Start of dam construction , 1940 , Dam completed , 1944 , Water sent to Hartford , 1948 , Reservoir filled with water