Bridge of Flowers (bridge)
Encyclopedia
The Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts
, is the name given to a former trolley bridge that is now covered in a garden throughout its length.
, so that freight and people could be brought up to the nearby mills in Colrain
, as the nearby Iron Bridge had a twenty-ton weight limit. As automobile usage began to increase, freight began to be transported more by trucks, and the street railway company went bankrupt in 1927. The history of the railway is preserved in the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum
.
In 1929, with the bridge covered in weeds, Antoinette Burnham came up with the idea of transforming the bridge into a garden. Since the bridge was not needed as a footbridge and could not be demolished because it carried a water main between the two towns, her idea was agreed upon by those in the community. The Shelburne Woman's Club sponsored the project in 1928. In 1929, eighty loads of loam and several loads of fertilizer were brought to the bridge. Several women's clubs around town raised $1,000 in 1929.
In 1975, a photographic study was conducted of Shelburne Falls. One of the concerns of the town was the deterioration of the bridge structure. In 1981, funds were raised by those who owned the bridge and a study was commissioned. The study determined that $580,000 in repairs should be made to the bridge. Various organizations raised money and repairs began on May 2, 1983. During the restoration, every plant that was removed was cared for in private. The restoration replaced the 8-inch water line, which carries up to half a million gallons of water a day. The bridge also contains two and a half feet of soil at the top of the arches and nine feet deep at the piers.
On August 28, 2011, rain runoff from Hurricane Irene (at that point a tropical storm) flooded the Deerfield River and engulfed the Bridge of Flowers.
Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts
Shelburne Falls is a census-designated place in the towns of Shelburne and Buckland in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,951 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, is the name given to a former trolley bridge that is now covered in a garden throughout its length.
History
The bridge was originally built for $20,000 in 1908 by the Shelburne Falls and Colrain Street RailwayShelburne Falls and Colrain Street Railway
The Shelburne Falls and Colrain Street Railway was a rural trolley line that operated in the western Massachusetts towns of Buckland, Shelburne and Colrain from late 1896 to late 1927...
, so that freight and people could be brought up to the nearby mills in Colrain
Colrain, Massachusetts
Colrain is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,813 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :Colrain was first settled in 1735 as "Boston Township No...
, as the nearby Iron Bridge had a twenty-ton weight limit. As automobile usage began to increase, freight began to be transported more by trucks, and the street railway company went bankrupt in 1927. The history of the railway is preserved in the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum
Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum
The Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum is a small railroad museum in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, United States.The museum is dedicated to preserving and operating car number 10 of the former Shelburne Falls and Colrain Street Railway...
.
In 1929, with the bridge covered in weeds, Antoinette Burnham came up with the idea of transforming the bridge into a garden. Since the bridge was not needed as a footbridge and could not be demolished because it carried a water main between the two towns, her idea was agreed upon by those in the community. The Shelburne Woman's Club sponsored the project in 1928. In 1929, eighty loads of loam and several loads of fertilizer were brought to the bridge. Several women's clubs around town raised $1,000 in 1929.
In 1975, a photographic study was conducted of Shelburne Falls. One of the concerns of the town was the deterioration of the bridge structure. In 1981, funds were raised by those who owned the bridge and a study was commissioned. The study determined that $580,000 in repairs should be made to the bridge. Various organizations raised money and repairs began on May 2, 1983. During the restoration, every plant that was removed was cared for in private. The restoration replaced the 8-inch water line, which carries up to half a million gallons of water a day. The bridge also contains two and a half feet of soil at the top of the arches and nine feet deep at the piers.
On August 28, 2011, rain runoff from Hurricane Irene (at that point a tropical storm) flooded the Deerfield River and engulfed the Bridge of Flowers.