B-17 crash memorial on Mt Tom in MA

[Dugan]

I've heard that there's a memorial for a B-17 crash in 1946 that killed 25 men somewhere on Mt Tom. Neither the DEM website nor trail map mention it. I've tried various search terms in google but couldn't find anything that way either.

Does anyone know if this is true? And if so, how to reach it?

 

[HikerBob]

Mt Tom is right on my doorstep. Went to the memorial last March.

Have some pics HERE

Bob

 

[masshysteria]

Dugan, there is also a memorial on Garnet Hill in the Mass. town of Peru. I believe a B-26 crashed into the hill around 1944, killing 4 on board. As the crow flies, probably 15 miles from Mt. Tom.

 

[Dugan]

HikerBob:
Great pictures!
That sounds like the one I'm looking for. I compared your directions to the DEM map. I've hiked most of the trails on the map, except for m-m from 141 to the summit of Mt Tom, which sounds like the section where the side trail is.

Is the right for the side trail difficult to find?

Thanks!

 

[HikerBob]

Dugan - glad you liked the pictures.

You shouldn't have any trouble spotting the right fork for the trail to the memorial. The start of the trail off 141 is sometimes less obvious until you are on top of it. If you park at the small pull in on the right hand side heading towards Holyoke from the Log Cabin the trail starts a little further down the road. A lot of people merely head through the bushes straight across the road. The trail lower down is an old woods road so is easy to pick up.

The right fork is a about where the summit trail starts to get steeper and veers to the left. There are organgy/red blazes.

Doing the loop up to the cliffs and back down off the summit is a nice little hike.

Bob