The Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls

The Bridge of Flowers is a flower laden bridge located in the village of Shelburne Falls in Massachusetts, USA. The 400-feet concrete bridge across the Deerfield River is covered with over 500 varieties of seasonal flowers that are planted and tended by local volunteers to ensure they remain in bloom continuously between April and October.

The Bridge of Flowers was originally a trolley bridge built in 1908 by the Shelburne Falls & Colrain Street Railway to deliver heavy freight from the Shelburne Falls railyard to the mills on the other side of the river. The railway company, however, was unable to keep up with the increasing competition from automobiles, as goods began to be transported more by trucks. Eventually the railway went bankrupt in 1927, and the bridge was abandoned.

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For two years following the demise of the railway, the bridge lay overgrown with weeds. Residents were unsure what to do with it. They certainly didn’t want another footbridge, but it couldn't be destroyed because it carried a water main between the two towns. Then a local resident Antoinette Burnham suggested that the bridge be transformed into a garden.

The Shelburne Falls Fire District purchased the bridge in 1929 for $1,250, and the Women’s Club assumed responsibility for beautification of the bridge. They had eighty loads of soil and fertilizer placed on the bridge with the help of donated labor. The community rallied around the project raising more than a thousand dollars to fund the project.

Today, the Bridge of Flowers is still cared by the Shelburne Falls Woman's Club through the Bridge of Flower Committee. The bridge draws visitors from all over the world.

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