Skip to main content

Travel New England: Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge

Image
By

 


Nestled in the town of Simsbury, Connecticut is a rather unique bridge that crosses some 18 feet over the Farmington River. That bridge is the Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge. Built in 1892 by J.E. Buddington of New Haven, Connecticut, this old metal truss bridge is 183 feet in length and has served various types of transportation modes throughout its history. In fact, it is one of only three Parker through truss bridges that remain in the State of Connecticut. While people had crossed the Drake Hill Road bridge for decades, whether it be with a horse and buggy or a car, I'm not sure that people from earlier generations could have imagined the current chapter of this bridge's life.

While a modern two lane bridge was opened just to the north of the Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge in 1992, the old bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Given its status as a historic bridge, the old bridge remained in use for pedestrians and bicycles. Then in 1995, the bridge was restored at the cost of $575,000, with 80% of the cost being handled through federal transportation grants.

Today's chapter in the life of the Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge got its start in 1996, when the idea came about to beautify the bridge in the spirit of the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. The community has come together to place a total of 118 floral arrangements along the sides of the bridge, including 72 flower boxes, 32 hanging baskets and 14 border Column Baskets and Cottage Gardens, which are planted and maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers. The flower boxes on the bridge are replaced by local high school students.

In 2019, the bridge was temporarily closed for improvements. The Town of Simsbury added more parking, a pavilion for visitors, walking paths, and river access for launching watercraft. Plus there's opportunities to combine a visit to the Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge for longer range recreation as well, since the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail passes near the bridge. I have passed by or checked out the Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge a few times during my travels around the Constitution State. The photos below are from an August 2022 visit to the bridge.

The Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge brimming with flowers on a quiet late August afternoon.

Historic bridge plaque.

The bridge looks inviting for pedestrians exploring the bridge at any pace, even if it's just to smell the flowers.

East portal of the bridge.

The Farmington River, which runs from the Berkshires to the Connecticut River. Further upstream, you may find people tubing down the Farmington River, depending on the season.

A hanging basket.

Admiring the truss work of the bridge.

Stopping to smell the flowers.

Bridge plaques.

East portal of the Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge.

A parting side shot of the bridge.


How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
Town of Simsbury Connecticut - The Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge
CTMQ - The Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge
Connecticut Explored - Saving a Bridge with Flowers
Bridgehunter - Drake Hill Road Bridge
Labels:
Location: Drake Hill Flower Bridge, Old Bridge Rd, Simsbury, CT 06070, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

By
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...
4 comments
Read more

Massena Center Suspension Bridge

By
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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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

By
"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...
Post a Comment
Read more