Not our name, but our passion
The Shunpike Rest Area on MA Route 2 in Charlemont has picnic tables and provides access to the Deerfield River.
There is a picturesque old cemetery at the rest area.
The rest area was named for the spot where residents forded the river to avoid paying the toll at the turnpike bridge. In 1810 Massachusetts roads were all declared free for travel due to their efforts.
The East Charlemont District School — also known as the “Little Red School” — sits alone in a field along the Mohawk Trail, with a simple plaque explaining its 116-year-long school history. The one room schoolhouse was built in 1828 and is one of the few remaining brick one room schools remaining in Western Massachusetts. The school was in use until 1944 and is currently owned by the town. The advent of bus transport heralded the end of the era of local one room schoolhouses.
This gift shop has been a fixture on MA Route 2 in Shelburne Falls for decades. The kitchy old fashioned shop has been a roadside attraction formerly called the “Big Indian” gift store on the Mohawk Trail and was a frequent stop when making trips along the trail. You will not find authentic Native American artifacts or crafts here but it is a good place to see what a roadside attraction was like in bygone years. The best part of the store are the statues and displays surrounding the shop.
The Bridge of Flowers is a unique attraction in Shelburne Falls. The bridge which spans the Deerfield River was built in 1908 as a separate railroad bridge to facilitate freight into town. With the advent of trucking the bridge fell into disuse by 1927 and was overgrown with weeds in 1929. The bridge carried a water main and so could not be demolished so a local housewife Antoinette Burnham came up with the idea to turn the bridge into a garden. The Shelburne Women’s Club sponsored the introduction of eighty loads of loan and two loads of fertilizer and oversaw the planting. A $580,000 restoration of the bridge occurred in 1981. Today the bridge is a wonderful place of quiet repose on a sunny spring or summer day. Be aware parking is limited and the neighbors do not take kindly to parking in front of their houses.
The French King Bridge in Gil Massachusetts was built in 1931 replacing a twisty steep graded section of the Mohawk Trail. The bridge spans the Connecticut River gorge and was considered the most beautiful steel bridge of 1932 by the American Institute of Steel Construction.
