Mohawk Trail Region
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The Mohawk Trail Region 100th AnniversAry official visitors’ guide Ë 2014-15 www.mohawktrail.com The Mohawk Trail is the First Scenic Road in New England. It officially opened Table of Contents on October 22, 1914. Over The Trail cities & towns 100 years Ago................ 3-4 on the trail - The.Highway. traveling of.History....................... 5-7 west to east Tourist.Information Williamstown.................18 -.across.the.State........ 8-10 North.Adams.................27 Adams............................30 find a place to Florida............................33 enjoy yourself Savoy..............................33 in the mohawk Rowe...............................33 trail region Annual Festivals The.Arts.&.Culture...........12 in the region....34 Places.to.Eat...............12-13 map of the Places.to.Stay...................13 mohawk trail Places.to.Shop..................14 region................36-37 Services............................15 Find it in the How.to.Get.Here..............15 region!.....................38 Distances.from.. Charlemont....................39 North.Adams.to.?............53 Colrain............................42 Camping,.State.Parks.&.. Shelburne.Falls..............43 nko Outdoor.Recreation........16 E Hollywood on Sights.to.See....................17 the Deerfield River...........46 Michal Shelburne.......................47 E n E Greenfield.......................49 Eug Deerfield.........................50 South.Deerfield..............52 Turners.Falls..................53 The World in 1914............54 Bernardston...................55 Northfield......................55 www.mohawk trail.com Gill..................................56 Phillipston......................56 This publication is funded, in part, by Westminster...................56 The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. Fitchburg........................56 © 2014 Mohawk Trail Association 2014-2015 Farmers’ Markets...........57 The 1st Auto over The Trail....................58 five driving tours in the mohawk trail region................60-70 2 www.mohawktrail.com Over the Trail 100 Years Ago e are celebrating the joy of a road trip that takes you into the western wilderness of Mas- sachusetts.W It’s a trip on a highway that runs alongside the rocky Cold River, on roads chiselled out of narrow valleys above steep precipices. The road climbs up to the top of Whitcomb Summit surrounded by hilltops as far as the eye can see and then descends into the Hoosac Valley rimmed with soft-curved mountains. scheduled train trip between Charlemont Driving today is mostly a chore—doing and North Adams passing through the world errands, picking up the kids, getting famous Hoosac Tunnel. But the automobile to your job. Driving 100 years ago was was an invention that was becoming wildly for the adventure to follow the road popular. In 1900, there were only 8000 wherever it led. Motoring parties were privately-registered cars in the entire United out for excitement on a Sunday after- States, by 1920, there were 8 million. noon pleasure trip or a weekend lost in Cars were still evolving into the kind of tree-dense forests. vehicles we know today. Until 1912, their When The Mohawk Trail was dedicated bodies were made mostly of wood. The all- on October 14, 1914, it marked the comple- steel body became the standard 20 years tion of a highway between Charlemont and later. Most motorists traveled in open cars North Adams. It ran in the same direction as until the 1920s when they were enclosed to the path beaten down by the Native people protect passengers from cold, heat, wind and for thousands of years. The new road was rain. The average speed was about 10 miles engineered to a grade suitable to an auto- per hour. The climb up the mountain from mobile’s ability to scale the mountain that Charlemont to Florida frequently overheat- separates the Deerfield River valley from ed engines and there was often a need for the Hoosac River valley. The Native Ameri- water at the top to replenish the boiled-over cans—the Pocumtucks, the Mahicans and cooling systems. yes, the Mohawks, traveled a steeper route Through World War I and the Roaring along the hilltops. Twenties, The Mohawk Trail was paved In 1914, most people could easily take a with gravel and oil that required lots of 1914www.mohawktrail.com 3 maintenance. Too much rain caused ruts, wash outs and wash-boarding. Dry spells created clouds of dust. In the winter, the road was closed—unplowed and impass- able. Even though the road had its faults and limitations, it was during this time that The Trail was the most popular. City dwellers could venture out into the wilderness and fancy that they were pioneers The sweetest method to draw tourists in “Indian Country.” They were pioneers, but off the highway occurred in Shelburne Falls pioneers in automobile travel. The business- where Alice Brown fashioned heart-shaped es along the Mohawk Trail were pioneers in candies from Maple Sugar and named them tourism, building or supporting attractions Sweethearts. She posted a sign entreating that enticed people to visit. motorists to “Stop for your Sweetheart.” Thus was born the Sweetheart Tea Room which grew from serving more than 21,000 guests in 1920 to 65,000 guests in 1931. In 1923, the Automobile Club of America dubbed The Mohawk Trail a “honeymoon route” because more than 1000 newly mar- Whitcomb Summit House Gift Shop ried sweethearts registered in hotels along The Trail! Charles Canedy built the Whit- The popularity of the road demanded im- comb Summit house in the town of Florida provements. After two years of construction, at the highest point on The Trail then added a ceremony was held on September 28, 1929, tourist cabins and an observation tower to at the peak of foliage season, to celebrate maximize the scenic view and coin-operated the improved Mohawk Trail. The road was telescopes to magnify it. He also built a gift widened and paved with asphalt which shop and another tower at the Hairpin Turn. meant that it could be plowed and kept open He donated land in 1923, to the Massachu- in winter. setts Elks Association who erected The Elk as a memorial to its members who died in World War I. The North Adams Transcript said the dedication ceremonies were attend- ed by 10,000 people and 3,000 cars. Cecil Kennedy worked the lower part of The Trail in Charlemont and created Mo- hawk Park by donating land for the erection of the statue, “Hail to the Sunrise” in 1932. The Sweetheart Tea Room 4 www.mohawktrail.com laze the highway of history and dis- Welcome cover the wonderful world of adventure t o t h e Bwaiting for you in the four season vaca- tion land along the Mohawk Trail, Route 2. Stretching from the Massachusetts-New York MOhawk line to Millers Falls on the Connecticut River is TRaIl the actual 63 mile East-West highway. Reminis- cent of early American life, the Mohawk Trail REgioN provides the traveler of today with well over 100 attractions; country inns, gift shops and public xxxxxxxx and private camping areas nestled amid the sea- sonal changing beauty of the Berkshire Hills and Connecticut Valley. Across the Deerfield River is a five arch con- crete span called the Bridge of Flowers. This deserted trolley bridge, presently displaying a profusion of flowers and shrubs, was a project sponsored by the Shelburne Falls Women’s Club in 1929. The Bridge of Flowers is the only one of its kind and a delight to the traveler’s eye. Just to the south of Greenfield is Old Deerfield with its Indian and Revolutionary monuments. Many of Old Deerfield’s pre-revolutionary houses are open to the public, along with its museum. Just downstream from the Bridge of Flowers is Salmon Falls. The river bottom has the largest collection of glacial potholes in the country. These ancient potholes, which can be viewed from an overlook, came into existence by attacking whirlpools of water and gyrating stones of the Glacial Age that eroded the granite. Swimming is not rec- ommended there. There are other phenomena and places of beauty along the Trail. New England’s only Natural Bridge, in North Adams, has unusual geological formations like a marble 60 ft. falls, attesting to the thousands of years of erosion since the ice ages. The world famous Sterling & Francine Clark Art In- stitute and the Willliams College Museum of Art offer Timo T the enjoyment of fine arts in Williamstown, while North hyZela Adams features MASS MoCA and the Western Gateway Z Heritage State Park, located in the North Adams freight o yard district. Exhibits focus on the rich railroad and The Natural Bridge - North Adams www.mohawktrail.com 5 industrial heritage of North Adams. Located in the Berkshires with portals at Rowe and North Adams is the Hoosac Railroad Tunnel, built in the 19th century at a cost of 200 lives and $15 million, which earned it the name of the “Bloody Pit.”The con- stant danger of tunneling through 5 miles of solid rock was completed with the help of a new explosive called nitroglycerin. The tunnel is believed to be haunted by the ghosts of those lost in its completion. The Mohawk Trail is an adventure and cultural experience for the lucky traveler who attends the Mohawk Trail Concerts, an informal gathering of outstanding artists from near and far, or the summer theaters in Williamstown or Turners Falls. Others can attend the many craft shows, street fairs or an Indian Pow- Wow, a weekend outing filled with traditional songs and dances within a program of exhibitions displaying the rich heritage of the Indian culture. Winter in the beautiful Berkshire Hills offers the best in The Mohawk Trail Concerts are downhill and cross country skiing, snow-mobiling and full facil- performed in this Church ity campgrounds and lodging anywhere in New England. In any season, the vacationing shopper can visit a host of country stores and unique gift shops. View the valley from Mount Greylock (May-Oct.) the highest mountain in Massachusetts, which dominates the landscape with an elevation of 3,491 feet above sea level.