Shelburne Falls Military Band

The Shelburne Falls Military Band began in the fall of 1835 when three farm boys, Martin Merrill, Jonathan Nims and Solomon Merrill, bartered for 2 old clarinets and an old five keyed bugle. 

The Shelburne Falls Military Band has been operating continually, since those early days, making it one of the longest continually operating military bands in the United States. We continued playing through the Civil War, World War One, Great Depression, the Second World War, Vietnam, and past the turn of the millennium.

Their members come from all over Franklin County, Massachusetts -- and beyond -- and are dedicated to keeping alive this New England tradition.