Bridge of Flowers - Shelburne Falls, MA
N 42° 36.226 W 072° 44.471
18T E 685295 N 4719288
Former trolley bridge now a public garden.
Waymark Code: WM6TN8
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 07/19/2009
Views: 11
SHELBURNE FALLS is unusual in that it is bisected by the Deerfield River, which is the township line between Shelburne and Buckland; so that Shelburne Falls is actually the governmental center of two townships. Right of the bridge crossing the Deerfield River is an old trolley bridge, now used by pedestrians; it is decorated in summer with flowers and shrubbery.
From Massachusetts: A Guide to Its Places and People, 1937
The Bridge of Flowers started out as a trolley bridge in 1908. The Shelburne Falls & Colrain Street Railway trolley hauled freight between the rail yard in Shelburne Falls and several textile mills in Colrain. It delivered milk and mail, carried workers to the mills and children to the movies at the Memorial Theater in Shelburne Falls.
The railway went out of business in 1928 when trucking took over the freight business. But, the last surviving trolley car, found in a farmer's field, has been wonderfully restored to its original condition. You can take a ride on old No.10 at the nearby Trolley Museum.
In 1929, funds were raised to transform the abandoned trolley bridge into a bridge of flowers. Its upkeep still depends largely on donations from the public and the hard work of the volunteers who assist the paid gardener.