Sunday, December 7, 2025

2026 Calendars Now on Sale

Front cover of the 2026 CHS calendar

The Colrain Historical Society has captured 14 of the vivid paintings from the “Colrain and Hilltowns on Canvas” exhibition last Fall in a 2026 calendar which is now available for $15. The calendar will make a great holiday gift!

You may purchase it at 
Catamount Country Store, 113 Main Rd, Colrain, MA

Pine Hill Orchards, 248 Greenfield, Rd, Colrain, MA

Hager’s Farm Market, 1232 Mohawk Trail (Route 2), Shelburne, MA


The calendar size when open is 17” x 11”.

Back cover of the calendar


The artists, images, and locations are
Front cover, A. Hale Johnson, Blue Barn
January, W. Lester Stevens, The Red Mill, Colrain
February, Pricilla Phelps, The Ed Stowe Place, Adamsville, Colrain
March, Jim Murphy, Grazing by the River
April, Maurice Kennedy, Coal Silos, Conway St., Buckland
May, Althea Brigham, Apple Blossom Time
June, Chris Bagg, Buckland Bridges
July, Robert Strong Woodward, Grey Heights, Buckland
August, Cynthia Herbert, Sipping Summer, and Watching
September, Rodger Desreuisseau, The Red Mill, Colrain
October, Lynn Fisher, Farming at Shoestring, Colrain
November, David Brewster, Cows in Green Station, Herzig Farm, Colrain
December, unsigned, Reed Farm, Conway
End page, Joseph Baker, Birches

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Colrain Home for the Holidays Potluck Dinner and Auction

“Puringtons Farm”
Artist: David Brewster
2004
oil on paper mounted on wood panel
19” x 30-1/4”


The painting in the photo above is one of the items being auctioned by the Colrain Historical Society on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at the Shelburne Buckland Community Center, 53 Main Street, Shelburne Falls, MA. Depicting Woodslawn Farm on Wilson Hill Road in Colrain, it was painted in 2004 by David Brewster, an artist from Halifax, Vermont. Minimum bid: $650.00.

After the 5:30 P.M. potluck supper, the live auction will commence at 7:00 P.M. You are welcome to preview over 250 auction items and bid on silent auction items starting at 1:00 P.M.  Auction items include holiday items, wreaths, boxwood trees, antiques and collectibles, local artisan items, Colrain ephemera, gift certificates, art, specialty foods, gift baskets, and new items for gift giving. 

Sponsored by the Colrain Historical Society for our ongoing work on the museum buildings at 8 Main Road in Colrain.

Catamount Auction staff are donating their time. It should be like the good old times, years ago, when the Colrain Business Association ran the auctions.  

Cash or check only.

Questions? Contact Deb Wheeler 413-624-8800 or Deborahjeanwheeler@gmail.com

Tuesday, December 2, 2025

November 2025 Update and Membership Drive



November, 2025

Dear Members and Friends, 

For the first time ever, we have a real Certificate of Occupancy, which means that we can open our doors as a museum once all the exhibits have been assembled. The shed between the museum house and barn on Main Road has been transformed, with skillful attention to period architectural detail, into a handicapped-accessible bathroom, using materials from the former Memorial Hall and the Methodist Church. That's historical recycling. 

Next up: re-structuring and insulating the space above the kitchen for use as climate-controlled storage for much of the CHS collection. These artifacts, photographs, textiles and documents donated by Colrain residents over more than 50 years tell Colrain's story, from its beginning on the 18 century frontier to the present. 

Meanwhile, the Curatorial Committee is organizing walls, lighting and exhibits for a first-floor opening, we hope, in 2026. There, you'll see an exploration of the historic villages of Colrain, a children's room exhibit, perhaps a country store and a 1950s kitchen. 

We're writing now, as we do each fall, to ask for your continuing support for this work and to meet ongoing expenses such as heating, insurance, and maintenance of our collection. 

Important! Mark your calendar for "A Colrain Christmas Potluck and Auction," December 6, 5-9 p.m., at the Shelburne-Buckland Community Center. You can donate items for the auction by contacting Debby Wheeler (deborahjeanwheeler@gmail.com; 413-624-8800).

We also hope you'll consider joining the Helen Stacy Legacy Circle by including the historical society in your estate planning as a steward of Colrain's history into the future. 

Please fill out the form below and return it in the enclosed envelope with your generous donation. 

Thank you, 

CHS Board of Directors 

Belden Merims, Bill Cole, Joan McQuade, Phil Sherburne, Debby Wheeler, Sarah Hollister, Casey Ryan, Cynthia Herbert and Joyce Root.


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I support the efforts of the Colrain Historical Society!
 **Non-member friends who contribute $50 or more will become life members.

Name: 

Address: 

email: 

Phone:

Please accept my donation of   ( ) $50   ( ) $100   ( )$250   ( ) $500   Other:$ 

Please make check payable to The Colrain Historical Society. Thank you! 

Note: The CHS is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization, so all donations are deductible to the extent of the State and Federal tax regulations.