Shelburne Falls Bridge of Flowers
- Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries
A 1929 trolley bridge, now reserved for foot traffic, abloom from April to October with 500 varieties of plants.
Every year visitors from around the world stroll across the Bridge of Flowers and enjoy the beauty of this unusual garden - the only one of its kind in the world. Last year more than 24,000 visitors signed the guest book. The Bridge of Flowers is meticulously tended by the Shelburne Falls Women's Club. Over 500 varieties of flowers, vines and shrubs assure a 400-foot span of continual blooming from the pastel tulips of April through the last blazing chrysanthemums in October.
Why flowers on a bridge?
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. Take a ride on old No.10 at the 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.
- Over 500 varieties of flowers, vines, and shrubs