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Prescott

Ghost town · Franklin County, Massachusetts

Belchertown quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1887, 1:62,500)
Belchertown quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1887, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Prescott is a ghost town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, recorded as former town in Massachusetts, United States of America. It is one of 6 former communities in Franklin County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 3rd among the 13 Massachusetts counties with a vanished settlement on record.

Prescott was established in 1822, in the first half of the 19th century; it was abandoned in 1938, after roughly 116 years.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Prescott as a historical populated place on the Quabbin Reservoir topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 42.3918° N, 72.3454° W.

Key facts

Founded1822
Abandoned1938
USGS quadrangleQuabbin Reservoir
Nearest living townAmherst Town, MA
Distance to it8.5 miles
GNIS feature ID617516
Coordinates42.39176, -72.34536

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Prescott is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Amherst Town, MA (population 35,472), about 8.5 miles away in a straight line. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Prescott?

Prescott is in Franklin County, Massachusetts, at 42.3918, -72.3454.

When was Prescott abandoned?

Prescott was abandoned in 1938.

How many ghost towns are in Franklin County?

Franklin County, Massachusetts has 6 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.