The Boston & Maine at Hoosac Tunnel

Loaded Coal out of Hoosac Tunnel

Next to the East Portal of the Hoosac Tunnel is a stone laid sluice which originates at the base of Twin Cascade in Florida. This was built by the railroad to both use and control the water flowing down the mountain to the Deerfield River. The stone walls are built high to protect the buildings and the tunnel from flooding. The trail to the waterfalls follows alongside and then dissappears under River Road only to come out again with a beautiful stone arch to tumble into the Deerfield. Our hike

Known as the false start, to the left of the Hoosac Tunnel East Portal on River Road in Florida there is a partially drilled tunnel. During the summer of 1852 the infamous $25,000 "Wilson's Patented Stone-Cutting Machine" built by Munn & Co of South Boston began chewing away at the east side of the mountain. This machine was supposed to cut a 24 foot tunnel through the entire mountain in 1556 working days. The general idea was that the machine would cut into the rock and then that cut rock could