You are here
Berry Engineering Archives
Descriptive Summary
Repository: Harvard Forest, Petersham MA
Location: Harvard Forest Archives – Back Bay
Creator: Berry Engineering, Inc
Title: Berry Engineering Document Archives
Dates: 1971-2016
Quantity: 19 File cabinet and 20 map file cabinets
Accessing the archives:
Inquiries to use the Berry Archives must do the following:
- Send an email to hflib@fas.harvard.edu with the subject: Berry Archives.
- In the body of email: Include as detailed a description as possible of what you hope to find. For example, the Town, Street and owner of property and what materials you are interested in receiving.
- We will get back to you within 3 business days with a response. This might include: a scan of requested items, a communication about a time to visit the archives or a determination that we do not have the items requested.
Complete Description and Administrative Information
Acquisition Information:
Provenance: Originated by William L. Berry and continued by sons William Berry, Jr., Edward Berry, and nephew William Leaders. All materials bequeathed to Harvard Forest
Processed: 2016
Terms of use:
Researchers seeking to examine archival materials must make an appointment. The Director, or an office of origin, may place restrictions on the use of some or all of its records. The extent and length of the restriction will be determined by the Director, office of origin, and the Archivist and will be enforced equally for all researchers.
The copyright is held by The President and Fellows of Harvard College for the Harvard Forest Archives of Harvard University. The copyright on some materials in the collection may be held by the original author or the author's heirs or assigns. Researchers are responsible for obtaining written permission from the holder(s) of copyright and the Arnold Arboretum Archives prior to publishing any quotations or images from materials in this collection.
Photocopies/scans may be made at the discretion of the Harvard Forest Archives staff. Permission to make photocopies does not constitute permission to reproduce or publish materials outside the bounds of the fair use guidelines.
Historical Note:
Berry Engineering, Inc. was started in 1971 by William L. Berry, sons William Berry, Jr., Edward Berry, and nephew William Leaders. The company performed operations of land surveying and civil engineering in the Central Massachusetts, North Quabbin Area.
Scope and Content Note:
The collection includes prepared surveys, topographic maps, preliminary and definitive subdivision plans, site plans, as-built plans, mortgage surveys, subsurface sewage disposal systems, deeds and field notes.
The collection contains all jobs done by Berry Engineering and parts of others engineers including: Harry Hastings (surveyor) and Alan Hawk (engineer).
Arrangement:
Special Files in Cabinet #17 - 19 for larger projects/clients include: Costa-Day, DR Poulin Construction, Rural Housing Improvement, High Knob Road, Pearson-Dedick, Bean Porridge Road, Paul Lenkarski, Nadeau Realty, Simpson Builders and Sterling Heights Builders
Index: card catalogue of plans in collection (see below example of how to read index cards)
Plans: Over 15,000 Mylar & paper plans (property surveys, septic systems, inspection plans), some are originals done by Berry Engineering and some are copies done by other engineers. ~ 4000 surveys are available electronically.
Files: Each job done by Berry Engineering, is filed by owner/business name, folders include deeds, field notes, worksheets, and other notes.
Special Files in Cabinet #17 - 19 for larger projects/clients include: Costa-Day, DR Poulin Construction, Rural Housing Improvement, High Knob Road, Pearson-Dedick, Bean Porridge Road, Paul Lenkarski, Nadeau Realty, Simpson Builders and Sterling Heights Builders
Various Assessor’s Tax Maps: Located in flat files
- Town of Petersham Mylar Tax Map (rolled up in box on top of file cabinet),
- Petersham property parcel info located in file cabinet #18
- Town of Athol Assessor’s Tax Map with index
- Town of Orange Assessor’s Tax Map with index
- Town of Royalston Assessor’s Tax Map with index
- Town of West Boylston Assessor’s Tax Map with index
- Town of Holden Assessor’s Tax Map (partial)
- Town of New Salem Assessor’s Tax Map (partial)
- Town of Wendell Assessor’s Tax Map (partial)
- Town of Rutland Assessor’s Tax Map (partial)
- Town of Winchendon Assessor’s Tax Map (partial)
- Town of Oakham Assessor’s Tax Map (partial)
- Town of Barre Assessor’s Tax Map (partial
Various Topographic Maps: Located in flat file drawer
Cover Sheet (index) Massachusetts/Rhode Island/Connecticut
Sheets #1-30, 35, 36, 43, 44, 46-48, 51, 52, 59-64, 67, 68, 75-80, 83-92, 96, 97, 99, 101, 102, 112, 115, 117, 118, 124, 125, 127, 138, 139, 148, 149, 153, 157, 158, 160, 162-165, 183, 202, 216, 235, 300
County Highway Layouts (H2005-H4448): Located in flat file drawers. (Note: Numbering system is that Petersham is #1 and then it spirals out, done so that the most commonly used sheets are on top)
Various MDC Plans and index: Located in flat file drawer
Various Railroad Plans: Located in flat file drawers
Harry Hastings’(Surveyor) Plans: (Plan Book & other plans) book & brown expandable folder on top of file cabinet
Alan Hawk’s (Engineer) Plans: Located in file cabinet #18
Plans & Profiles of Streets in Orange: Located in LARGE binder (labeled “Town of Petersham Highway Plans”) on top of file cabinets. Sheets 1-43 done by C.J. Day, C.E. Greenfield, MA
Index File: Directions on using the Index: PDF describing how to use the index files to find jobs/surveys done on/near property. View Index.
Towns surveys exist (
< 10 surveys, 
>10 and <100 surveys, 
> 100 surveys)
- Acton
- Albany, NH
- Amherst
- Ashburnham
- Ashby
- Athol
- Auburn
- Barre
- Belchertown
- Berlin
- Bolton
- Boylston
- Brimfield
- Brookfield
- Charlton
- Clinton
- Colrain
- Conway
- Deerfield
- Douglas
- Dudley
- East Bridgewater
- East Brookfield
- East Princeton
- Erving
- Fitchburg
- Fitzwilliam
- Gardner
- Gill
- Grafton
- Granby
- Greenfield
- Hardwick
- Holden
- Holland
- Hubbardston
- Leicester
- Leominster
- Leverett
- Lexington
- Littleton
- Lowell
- Lunenburg
- Marlborough
- Medford
- Millbury
- Monson
- Montague
- New Braintree
- New Salem
- North Brookfield
- Northborough
- Northbridge
- Northfield
- Northampton
- Oakham
- Orange
- Oxford
- Palmer
- Paxton
- Pelham
- Pepperell
- Peterborough
- Petersham
- Phillipston
- Princeton
- Richmond, NH
- Royalston
- Rutland
- Shelburne
- Shirley
- Shutesbury
- Southborough
- Spencer
- Sterling
- Sturbridge
- Sutton
- Templeton
- Townsend
- Turners Falls
- Tyngsboro
- Upton
- Wales
- Ware
- Warren
- Warwick
- Webster
- Wendell
- West Boylston
- West Brookfield
- Westborough
- Westminster
- Wilbraham
- Winchendon
- Worcester
