Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge is Editor's choice 2014 winner in Yankee Magazine

PRESS RELEASE

The Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge, Simsbury, CT has been recognized as a 2014 “Editor’s Choice” winner in Yankee Magazine’s Travel Guide in New England www.YankeeMagazine.com/best-of-new-england , on newsstands now.  This designation is awarded by Yankee’s editors and contributors who name select restaurants, lodgings, and attractions in New England to the exclusive list.  For 38 years, Yankee Magazine’s Travel Guide to New England has been the most widely distributed and best-selling guide to the six-state region, providing readers with a comprehensive vacation-planning tool and reference.

BRIDGE HISTORY

The Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge is a unique example of 19th century metal-truss bridge construction.  The townspeople authorized the Selectmen in October, 1892, to issue bonds and notes in the amount of $10,000 to be applied to the payment of the new iron bridge under construction.  Its pinned connections and the narrow one-lane roadway show that it was designed in an age before motor vehicles were a consideration.  In form, it is a Parker truss, a Pratt truss in which the top chord is curved to make the truss deeper in the middle.  The Parker design was used exclusively for long spans.

The bridge was designed, manufactured, and erected by the controversial New Haven, CT, engineer John E. Buddington.  From the time of his graduation from Yale’s Sheffield Scientific School in 1877, Buddington publicly attacked the work of other bridge engineers and promoted his own ideas.  He worked for a time for the New Haven Railroad (whose engineering he had criticized as a student) and Berlin Iron Bridge Company before starting his own firm in the 1880s.  Many of the details on the bridge are highly unusual.  Buddington’s originality appears in such eccentricities as the use of cast-iron spacer spools and the original floor system, now modified, in which closely spaced cross beams were supported directly from the lower chord.  Upon completion this bridge spans 183 feet and carries a 12 foot roadway suspended 18 feet over the Farmington River.

In 1992, the new Drake Hill Bridge was opened to 20th century traffic.  No longer would neighbor have to wait for fellow neighbor to cross a one lane bridge.  While the new bridge debate came to a conclusion, a group of residents fought to save the old bridge from demolition. The bridge was retained as a pedestrian and bicycle way and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

The ODHFB spans the Farmington River, a 46.7-mile-long waterway located in northwest Connecticut making it the Connecticut River’s longest tributary. The Farmington River's watershed covers 609 square miles. The Farmington River Watershed Association is a non-profit organization for conservation and preservation of this river.

WHAT WILL YOU SEE?

80 Abundant Baskets and Boxes

There are 32 richly overflowing hanging baskets and 48 vibrant flower boxes that bloom continuously from late May to October depending on the fall date of the first hard frost.  The moss lined, conical baskets are planted with annuals that cascade from their high hanging positions eventually meeting the flowers in the boxes.  The boxes themselves spill their boundaries and reach to the bridge floor. Four boxes exhibit beautiful continuously blooming herbal plantings illustrating a diverse use of plant materials.  Volunteers spend time every day clipping and dead heading every box and basket to ensure continuous bloom.  In November the boxes are decorated with winter greenery, branches and berries.  The winter finery will remain until the following spring.

East and West Cottage Gardens

Flanking the Flower Bridge on both the East and West sides are two Cottage Gardens that lead to the bridge walkway.  These gardens are planted with a variety of perennials, shrubs, trees and roses.  Annuals are inter-planted each year to ensure that there is vibrant color though out the entire growing season.  The Gardens are completely designed, executed, and maintained by volunteers.  There is a committee for each cottage garden and volunteers spend time weekly during the season planting, weeding, mulching, edging, relocating, and dead heading.

Picnic Area

Bring a picnic or order a take out from the many restaurants in Simsbury. On the west side of the Flower Bridge near the parking lot (which accommodates buses) are handicap accessible picnic tables for lunch, meetings or relaxation.  A seating wall with a lovely river view was built and installed by an Eagle Scout for his final project two years ago.  There are also several large brownstones that have been supplied by the town that may be used for sitting to enjoy the beauty of the river and spotting the creatures that abound and live by the river.

Wild Life & Critters

There is a Great Blue Heron Rookery near the bridge so it is not uncommon to see a heron in flight over the bridge heading to its nest.  Eagles have been spotted grabbing trout from the waters of the Farmington River.  There are river otters, woodchucks, and even reports of a bobcat who would visit the bridge in the early morning hours.  This year a mourning dove made a nest and laid eggs in one of the boxes so we have been keeping vigil as the chicks are ready to fledge.  The ODHFB is an awesome birding site.

Biking & Hiking

The ODHFB is linked to the East Coast Greenway a 2,500 mile traffic-free path linking East Coast Cities from Key West, FL to Calais, ME.  For more information and a picture of the ODHFB go to: www.greenway.org .  Experience history while cycling, roller-blading, jogging, running or walking on the Farmington Canal Greenway which runs for 85 miles from Northampton MA, through Simsbury, CT south to New Haven, CT. Check out the site for details and maps.  www.farmingtoncanal.org

Events on the Flower Bridge

The Flower Bridge may be reserved for a nominal fee through Simsbury Park and Recreation for a special event.  Contact www.simsbury-ct.gov>visitors>thingstodo for more details.  There have been several weddings on the bridge, as well as elaborate dinner parties, birthday celebrations, anniversary fetes, and yoga sessions to celebrate the Spring Solstice.  The Bridge is a destination for senior prom photos, wedding party photographs, engagement photographs, senior picture portraits, and simply friends meeting friends connecting on the Flower Bridge.

Bring your cameras, your picnic, and your love of nature and spend time suspended over the Farmington with the wind wafting down the river and the sun sparkling overhead.  It is a magical place, steeped in history and redolent in its beauty. You will be drawn back again and again.

Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge, Inc. is a not for profit organization supported by its 30 plus volunteers and is an exempt organization under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  Contact Marilyn Palmer, Membership, if interested in helping to maintain the bridge, P.O. Box 314, West Simsbury, CT 06092.