Shelburne Falls is a historic village in the towns of Shelburne and Buckland in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The village is a census-designated place (CDP) with a population of 1,731 at the 2010 census. It is part of the

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Notable features include the Bridge of Flowers, a former trolley bridge over the

Deerfield River Deerfield River is a river that runs for from southern Vermont through northwestern Massachusetts to the Connecticut River. The Deerfield River was historically influential in the settlement of western Franklin County, Massachusetts, and its n ...

that is now maintained by the Shelburne Falls Women's Club as a floral display from April through October; the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum; and the glacial potholes of the Deerfield River. The downtown includes an independently owned

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

with a soda fountain, one coffee shop, a

trolley Trolley may refer to: Vehicles and components * Tram, or trolley or streetcar, a rail vehicle that runs on tramway tracks * Trolleybus, or trolley, an electric bus drawing power from overhead wires using trolley poles ** Trolleytruck, a trolleyb ...

museum, several restaurants, two

pizza Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, onions ...

parlors, three bookstores, a newsstand, a country doctor, a grocery store, a natural foods store, many artists' galleries, and the second oldest bowling alley in the country, the Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley

candlepin Candlepin bowling is a variation of bowling that is played primarily in the Canadian Maritime provinces and the New England region of the United States. It is played with a handheld-sized ball and tall, narrow pins that resemble candles, hence th ...

. A community newspaper, the ''West County Independent,'' serves Shelburne Falls and the surrounding towns. On the Shelburne side of town is the Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School, with over 200 students. On the Buckland side of town is Mohawk Trail Regional Middle School/High School with approximately 500 students.

History

Silas Lamson Silas Lamson (1778-1855) was a 19th-century American inventor and manufacturer of scythe handles, agricultural implements, knives and cutlery. The business he started in 1837, Lamson & Goodnow, became one of the largest cutlery companies in the Un ...

was a 19th-century American inventor and manufacturer of scythe handles, agricultural implements, knives and cutlery. In 1834, Lamson patented a method for manufacturing curved snath handles for scythes used to harvest hay and wheat. The downward curve of the handle was an ergonomic improvement over straight-handled scythes. Three years later he partnered with two of his sons and with Abel Goodnow to found Lamson & Goodnow, a knife manufacturing company, in Shelburne Falls. By the time of the Civil War, the company employed more than 500 workers, making it one of the largest cutlery companies in the United States. The company exists in the 21st century as Lamson, with an outlet store in Shelburne Falls.

Historic district

A area, including the commercial center of the village, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Shelburne Falls Historic District in 1988, and the Odd Fellows' Hall was also NRHP-listed in 1979.

Geography

The

bisects Shelburne Falls, and

Massaemett Mountain Massaemett Mountain (sometimes known as Bald Mountain) is a mountain in Shelburne, Franklin County, Massachusetts, USA. It is named for a chief of the Pocumtuck tribe, a confederacy of Native Americans who inhabited the region. Part of the B ...

rises east of the village. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.8 km (2.6 mi). 6.6 km (2.5 mi) of it is land and 0.3 km (0.1 mi) of it (3.79%) is water. Shelburne Falls is served by Massachusetts Route 2, also known as the Mohawk Trail, as well as Routes 2A and

112 112 may refer to: *112 (number), the natural number following 111 and preceding 113 *112 (band), an American R&B quartet from Atlanta, Georgia **112 (album), ''112'' (album), album from the band of the same name *112 (emergency telephone number), t ...

, the former being the main route through the village.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,951 people, 815 households, and 466 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 296.6/km (768.3/mi). There were 878 housing units at an average density of 133.5/km (345.8/mi). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.92% White, 0.26% African American, 0.67% Native American, 0.67%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.82% of the population. There were 815 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.94. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.3 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $36,333, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $32,403 versus $26,534 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,367. About 7.4% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Bill Cosby, comedian * Camille Cosby * Halbert S. Greenleaf, former US congressman *

, Lamson & Goodnow knife factory co-founder *

Epaphroditus Ransom Epaphroditus Ransom (March 24, 1798 – November 11, 1859) was an American politician who served as the seventh governor of Michigan and as a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. Early life in Massachusetts and Vermont Ransom was born in Sh ...

, 7th Governor of Michigan * Linus Yale, Jr.

Sister cities

In May 2007, selectmen from the towns of Buckland and Shelburne inked a memorandum of agreement with officials from

Mutianyu Mutianyu () is a section of the Great Wall of China located in Huairou District within the city limits of Beijing northeast of the center of the city. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is connected with Jiankou in the west and Lianhua ...

, a village in China, making the two the first known "sister villages".

Gallery

File:Glacial Pothole.jpg, Glacial pothole, formed by the

File:Swimming in Shelburne Falls.jpg, Swimming in the

File:Shelburne Falls Truss Bridge.JPG, Shelburne Falls Truss Bridge, the main bridge between the two halves of the village, takes Rt. 2A across the Deerfield River File:PanoramaOfShelburneFallsMA.jpg, Panorama of Shelburne Falls File:Memorial Hall, Shelburne Falls MA.jpg, Memorial Hall

References

External links

Shelburne Falls Area Business Association
{{authority control Census-designated places in Franklin County, Massachusetts Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Census-designated places in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Franklin County, Massachusetts Shelburne, Massachusetts Buckland, Massachusetts