Travel New England: Shelburne Falls

The picturesque Village of Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts is a small slice of New England. The village sits along both sides of the Deerfield River within the Towns of Shelburne and Buckland. It is home to numerous shops, art galleries, cafes, breweries and more.

Shelburne Falls is a village of about 1700 residents which is nearly half of the combined population of Shelburne and Buckland. The area was settled in the mid-1700s with both Shelburne and Buckland incorporated by 1779.

Two of the major attractions in Shelburne Falls is the Bridge of Flowers and the Glacial Potholes. The Bridge of Flowers is a concrete arch bridge that originally served as a trolley bridge over the Deerfield River. Opened in 1909, the bridge carried freight and passengers for the Shelburne Falls & Colrain Street Railway for nearly 20 years until the railway company went bankrupt. It was in 1928, when members of the local Women's Club, petitioned and raised funds to convert the old trolley bridge to an open air garden.

The bridge is always full of tourists and photographers - professional and amateur alike. The blooms are amazing in any season and is one of my all time favorite photography spots.

The glacial potholes along the Deerfield River date to the end of the last Ice Age over 14,000 years ago. As the glaciers receded, the Deerfield River began to erode at the sediment and bedrock below. The process is a result of strong whirlpools within the currents of the Deerfield River. The potholes sit below Salmon Falls named after the once numerous salmon that would leap the falls to return to their spawning pools.

Shelburne Falls is a great stop for those traveling through Massachusetts along the Mohawk Trail or even Interstate 91. The small village really does have something for everyone.

All photos taken by post author - October 2006 & May 2012.

Comments

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...

Massena Center Suspension Bridge

The Massena Center Bridge, also known as the Holton D. Robinson Bridge, has had quite the tumultuous history. Situated on the Grasse River just east of Massena, New York in the hamlet of Massena Center, the Massena Center Bridge is a reminder of the efforts the community has made in order to connect over the river. The first and only other known bridge to be built at Massena Center was built in 1832, but that bridge was never long for this world. During the spring of 1833, the Grasse River dammed itself due to an ice dam, flooded and lifted the bridge off its foundation, destroying the bridge in the process. The floods were frequent in the river during the spring, often backing up the river from Hogansburg and past Massena Center, but not to nearby Massena. After the first bridge disappeared, local residents had to resort to traveling seven miles west to Massena to cross the next closest bridge, and that was no easy task for a horse and buggy. However, it was many decades befo...

The Dead Man's Curve of Interstate 90 and Innerbelt Freeway in Cleveland

"Dead Man's Curve" refers to the transition ramp Interstate 90 takes between Cleveland Memorial Shoreway onto the Innerbelt Freeway in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Said curve includes a sharp transition between the two freeways which is known for a high rate of accidents. Currently the curve (not officially named) has a 35 MPH advisory speed and numerous safety features intended to mitigate crashes. When the Interstate System was first conceived during 1956, Interstate 90 was intended to use the entirety Cleveland Memorial Shoreway and connect to the Northwest Freeway through Lakewood. The Innerbelt Freeway was initially planned as the northernmost segment of Interstate 71. The extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park was never constructed which led to Interstate 90 being routed through the Innerbelt Freeway. Part 1; the history of Cleveland's Innerbelt Freeway and Deadman's Curve The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signe...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog