Seventy years ago today, the Massachusetts towns of Enfield, Greenwich, Dana and Prescott held their last annual Fireman's Ball before they were disincorporated to make way for the Quabbin Reservoir. Several years ago, Boston musician Mark Erelli wrote a song commemorating it, "The Farewell Ball." It begins:

The government man
Started building his dam
Then he told us it was all for the best
'Cause they were tearing it down
They were drowning our town
In the name of progress I guess

We held our heads proud
'Til the state bought us out
And there wasn't much else we could do
But go down to Town Hall
To the last firemen's ball
It was decked out in red, white and blue

Come, come take my hand
Twirl to the band 'round the old Town Hall
Come, come take my hand
This is our last chance
Down at the Farewell Ball

The full lyrics are here. There's more history here.

Thanks to reader Steven Jens for the suggestion.