Small Towns: Buckland/Shelburne Falls, MA

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I’ve long had a soft spot for the small towns of Buckland and Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. Undoubtedly, one reason is that they seem more like Vermont towns than anything most people associate with the Bay State, which is pretty much true of most of Western Massachusetts. Buckland has 1,816 residents and is more spread out because of its agrarian past. It’s perhaps most famous as the place where Mary Lyon (1797-1849) lived. She was the founder of Mt. Holyoke College in South Hadley, 33 miles southeast of Buckland.

There is still a house in Buckland that calls itself the Mary Lyon House, but it’s one in which she lived, not her birthplace. It’s now a private residence and, needless to say, has been updated considerably since Lyon lived there. Her Congregational Church, though, still exists on Upper Street. That name says it all. Buckland and Shelburne Falls lie in the Berkshires foothills. Buckland has a village center of sorts with a Grange Hall, a post office, and a tiny historical museum, but what most people consider the middle of Buckland isn’t. If you travel from the south on Route 112 you make an odd loops-back-on-itself turn just before you come to Route 2 and drive a short distance with the Deerfield River on your left. At that point, you’re still in Buckland unless you cross the river, at which point you’re in Shelburne Falls. There are shops on the Buckland side with their backs to the river and just before you cross over you’ll see McCusker’s, everything you’d expect a village grocer to be and a point of local pride. If you can, though, travel just beyond the bridge for Buckland’s only real attraction, the Trolley Museum. At present, the museum isn’t open, but you can walk among some of its waiting-for-restoration stock.

 

Last trolley built in MA (1951)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The compact village of Shelburne Falls (pop. 1,731) is where most people head. It really feels like small town Vermont. Its one-street main drag has angled-parking, shops, cafes, and art galleries. The auditorium in the village hall is used for community events, concerts, and a summer second-run movie series. Though you might not expect it, the Gypsy Apple has a reputation for being a superb French restaurant. 

 

Truss bridge in foreground; old trolley bridge behind it

 

 

 

 

 

Shelburne Falls from Buckland side of Deerfield River

 

 

 

Trolley bridge reflected in river; Buckland seen upside down

 

 

 

Blooms on Bridge of Flowers

Spring Run Off

"Downtown"Shelburne Falls

Shelburne Falls has some quite lovely homes as you head towards Route 2, but that’s not why visitors come here. Its four-star attraction is slated to reopen soon (though check before you go): the Bridge of Flowers. Shelburne Falls is red brick and stone to Buckland’s wooden frames. Small industries, especially those devoted to Silas Lamson’s all-things-that-cut factories–he gets credit for the curved scythe–explains its different feel. People used to commute via trolley from Greenfield to the east and Charlemont to the west. The Bridge of Flowers was once where the trolley crossed the Deerfield River, though its capacity was such that heavy trade goods often had to be offloaded and taken across the truss bridge that now carries traffic. The trolley went bust in 1927, but two years later women’s clubs put loam beds on the old span and the Bridge of Flowers was born. It’s a gorgeous 400’ walk through seasonal plantings from May through October (or beyond), a riot of color against the backdrop of the river.

 

The Deerfield River has added bonuses. It makes a big bend and spills down a rocky waterfall and a side hydroelectric dam. When the river levels are high or the dam is doing its thing, it’s a roaring mini Niagara. Plus, there are glacial potholes carved into multi-colored metamorphic stone. 

 

 

 

 

Nearby is another village treat, a candlepin bowling alley. That facility might be the oldest continually operating bowling facility in Massachusetts, but even if it’s not, candlepin bowling is a blast. No one has ever rolled a perfect game and even seasoned pros know the agony of a well-rolled ball that chops straight through and knocks down two pins! Unless you are a pro you just can’t take candlepins seriously. Few novices break 100!

 

Outside the town you can challenge yourself with a hike up High Ledges Trail to see how the Deerfield has carved a valley through the hills and if it’s a clear day you can see deep into the Berkshires. You can refuel by driving on Route 2, the Mohawk Trail, toward Greenfield. Western Mass has six Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters outlets, but its Ur store is on Route 2, a few miles from the village center. Do a little digging and you can detour past a large stay-out compound that is the home of Bill Cosby, though locals are more proud of war tax resistor Randy Kehler. When I say Shelburne Falls has a Vermont feel, it’s not just because the Deerfield River’s two branches originate in the Green Mountain State, it’s also its countercultural/nonconformist vibe.

 

Rob Weir