A little bit of Flat Rock history.

First the map

This map is dated 1870. You may notice that Overlook reservoir is not on the map. It was just in the beginning phases of being built when this map was created

Overlook was the first, built by Alvah Crocker a major landowner in Fitchburg. This was before
Fitchburg had it's own water dept.

It is interesting to note that Fitchburg had two different types of water lines a high pressure line
and a low pressure line. Overlook provide the high pressure and a smaller reservoir near by that is now filled in nearby provided the low pressure.

The excerpt below is from a book written by John Warner Barber entitled "Historical Collections Relating to the History and Antiquities of Every town in Massachusetts with Geographical Descriptions" Published by Warren Lazell in 1848.

It mentions Flat rock road as "Flat Rock" as well as Scott road. Please note that this book is in the public domain. Also please not that "Dorchester Canada" Is now known as the town of Ashburnham

This road, probably, passed the village oi Fitchburg, nearly in the same place with the present travelled way. It then wound up the hill, by Enoch Caldwell’s, over flat rock, through the land lately owned by Sylvanus Lapham, and thence to what was then Lunenburg west line, and into Dorchester Canada. John Scott had been for a long time desirous of a more direct route to the center of Lunenburg; but the town would not accede to his wishes. He accordingly procured a court’s committee, who laid the present Scott road, “to the great satisfaction of Mr. John Scott," as the records say. This road passed from the middle of Lunenburg by the log house where John Battles, Jr., now lives; then by Ebenezer Bridge's, where Deacon Jaquitt now resides, and then by Scott's own house, and so on to the road before mentioned. This Scott road was for some years quite a celebrated thoroughfare, and used to be called Crown Point road.


My thanks to Andy for his wealth of knowledge concerning Overlook Reservoir.