Shelburne Falls is an historic village in the towns of Shelburne and Buckland in Franklin County,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, United States. The village is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) with a population of 1,731 at the 2010 census. It is part of the

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

, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Silas Lamson was a 19th-century American inventor and manufacturer of

scythe A scythe (, rhyming with ''writhe'') is an agriculture, agricultural hand-tool for mowing grass or Harvest, harvesting Crop, crops. It was historically used to cut down or reaping, reap edible grain, grains before they underwent the process of ...

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.

Geography

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 ...

bisects Shelburne Falls, and Massaemett Mountain rises east of the village. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of 6.8 km (2.6 mi), of which 6.6 km (2.5 mi) is land and 0.3 km (0.1 mi) (3.79%) is water. Shelburne Falls is served by

Massachusetts Route 2 Route 2 is a major east–west state highway in Massachusetts, United States. Along with Route 9 and U.S. Route 20 to the south, these highways are the main alternatives to the Massachusetts Turnpike/I-90 toll highway. Route ...

, also known as the

Mohawk Trail The Mohawk Trail began as a Native American trade route which connected Atlantic tribes with tribes in Upstate New York and beyond. It followed the Millers River, Deerfield River and crossed the Hoosac Range, in the area that is now northwestern ...

, as well as Routes 2A and 112, the former being the main route through the village.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,951 people, 815 households, and 466 families residing in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

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 White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.26%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.67% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.46% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino 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 recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $18,367. About 7.4% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Notable sites include: * The Bridge of Flowers, a former trolley bridge over the

; now a floral display. * Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum. Sites listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

include: * Shelburne Falls Historic District, a area, including the commercial center of the village. * Odd Fellows' Hall. Education Television shows produced in Shelburne Falls: * Dexter: New Blood is filmed in Shelburne Falls, but is portrayed as Iron Lake, New York.

Notable people

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...

, comedian * Camille Cosby * Halbert S. Greenleaf, former US congressman * Silas Lamson, Lamson & Goodnow knife factory co-founder * Epaphroditus Ransom, seventh Governor of Michigan *

Linus Yale Jr. Linus Yale Jr. (April 4, 1821 – December 25, 1868) was an American businessman, inventor, mechanical engineer, and metalsmith. He was a co-founder with millionaire Henry R. Towne of the Yale Lock Company, which became the premier manu ...

, co-founder of

Yale Lock Company Yale is a lock manufacturer and a subsidiary of Assa Abloy, except in the United States and Canada where the brand has been owned by Fortune Brands Innovations since 2023. The global company is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Its initial p ...

Randy Kehler Gordon Randall Kehler (July 16, 1944 – July 21, 2024) was an American pacifist, tax resister, and social justice advocate. Kehler objected to America's involvement in the Vietnam War and refused to cooperate with the draft. He, along with his ...

, anti-

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

activist and pacifist

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 Lianh ...

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

References

External links

* http://shelburnefalls.com/ {{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