In 1834, the John Russell Cutlery was founded in Greenfield, Massachusetts; however, due to a damaging flood in 1860 and an enticing offer from Alvah Crocker, it relocated to Turners Falls on the banks of the new canal. Alvah Crocker saw Turners Falls as a perfect place for a planned industrial community with a hydro-powered industrial district. The cutlery employed 800 people at its peak, some of whom resided in Cutlery housing. The Cutlery’s success inspired future industries and mills, all of which ran on hydropower. That is why they call us Powertown.

We have mapped the industries in Turners utilizing points we collected through GPS technology. Those points are: Southworth, New England Extrusion (NEX), ConAgra, Turbo Steam, Heat Fab, and Australis.