Catamount Hill Quinquennial Reunion on August 8

Catamount Hill Quinquennial Reunion via Zoom Maintains Tradition

 

2012 photo descendants of Major Hezekiah Smith, Jr. (1752-1843) at the stone monument marking the site of the Catamount Hill School house where Hill residents raised a flag in protest of American sailors being captured at sea and impressed in to the Royal Navy prior to the outbreak of the War of 1812. The event marks the transition of the flag from a military banner to a national symbol.

 

The Catamount Hill Association was organized in Colrain in 1875 and its members take a long view of their history. Descended from families of Revolutionary War veterans who were also politically active in support of War of 1812, the Association's members have reunited every five years ever since.

This year, because of COVID-19, the Association's 30th Quinquennial Reunion program will happen online via Zoom, a popular digital video conference service. As a technology, Zoom is a far cry from the steam railways and horse-drawn vehicles which brought participants to the first Reunion in 1875, held near the small caves on Catamount Hill known as "the dens". 

On Saturday, August 8 the Quinquennial will be held for the first time in cyberspace. Descendants will meet at 11 a.m. EDT by using a link e-mailed to them from the Association's contact list. Non-listed descendants may send their name, e-mail address, and family affiliation to catamounthill1875@gmail.com.

The Reunion program will include a presentation of images, historic and contemporary. The business meeting of reports and elections is traditionally heralded by the ringing of a cow bell. This year, rather than echoing through Colrain's hills and valleys, it will resonate through cyberspace. 

 

Totes and Tees of the Arthur A. Smith Bridge

From the Colrain Clarion Special Edition, Monday, June 8, 2020:

Totes and Tees of the Arthur A Smith Bridge— A Fundraiser for the Colrain Historical Society The winners of the Colrain Arthur A Smith Bridge Totes and Tees Design Contest are Lisa Nartowicz Jablonski (first-place, above left) and Makenna Johnson (second place, above right). Sale of these tote bags and tee shirts will promote awareness of the hoped-for use of the bridge for a town park, to be voted on at the Colrain Annual Town Meeting on June 20. There were 18 entries ranging from abstract to fine art to whimsical, giving the judges some excellent choices. Each entrant will receive a tee shirt for their efforts, and the 5thgrade class at Colrain Central School will also get shirts for their work and input this year as we developed plans to create a park and recreation area around the Arthur A Smith Bridge. To order your limited-edition shirts ($20 each), please go here. Shipping is available, as well as free delivery or pickup within Colrain. (Thanks for your patience as we get the website fully up and running.)

Historical Notes 2020

The Spring 2020 edition of Historical Notes, the newsletter of the Colrain Historical Society, was mailed in mid April. Click here for a PDF version. Click on the photos of the pages below to view a larger image.

Historical Notes 2020 page 1.

Historical Notes 2020 page 2.

Historical Notes 2020 page 3.

Historical Notes 2020 page 4.

Old Photos of Griswold Mills and Colrain

The Museum of Our Industrial Heritage in Greenfield has a collection of photos of the Griswold Cotton Mills and other location in a Colrain. These photos were provided courtesy of the Colrain Historical Society.

http://archive.industrialhistory.org/CA/pawtucket/index.php/Detail/collections/10
When you are on their website, click each photo for an enlarged view and information about the photo.

This page on their site has a very brief article about the history of the Griswold Mills.
http://industrialhistory.org/histories/griswold-cotton-mills/

 Explore the other links on their website (EXHIBITS, DATABASE, HISTORIES, VIDEOS) for more fascinating videos and photos of this area’s industrial heritage.