Program: “ Improper Intimacy": Almira Edson and the Perfectionist Movement

Almira Edson (1803-1886) was a stepdaughter of Edward Adams of the busy village of Adamsville in Colrain. She develped a style of family registers combining calligraphy and watercolor, much sought after by collectors of folk art today. After years of teaching at the Halifax Academy she joined a utopian community in Putney, Vermont which combined spiritual purity and "complex marriage" only to find herself in conflict with the movement's leaders. 

 Edson is the subject of a presentation by Prentice Crosier in the Stacy Barn behind the Colrain Historical Society's Pitt House on Thursday, June 9, at 7:30 p.m. following the Society's business meeting at 7:00 p.m. This program is free and open to the public.

David Lyons - Boston Tea Party Participant

David Lyons (1737-1803) took part in the Boston Tea Party in 1773, and later moved to Colrain in 1784. A plaque was placed at his gravesite in the Chandler Hill Cemetery on May 24, 2022. Read the article from the Greenfield Recorder here.

An Invitation...

Friends of the Colrain Historical Society are invited to join the Helen Stacy Legacy Circle by including the society in their estate planning. Along with the late Hale Johnson, Brad Brigham, and others, participants will help to secure the Pitt House property and the collection it houses: artifacts, photos, diaries and documents which constitute both the material history of the town and a legacy from its residents. 

 The first legacy to the society came from Colrain native Helen Stacy, whose bequest made possible the building of the Stacy Barn behind the Pitt House. Building on her generosity will create a legacy for the people of Colrain. History matters.

For information on how to include CHS in your estate planning, contact president Phil Sherburne at seriouswhimzy@ gmail.com, or call 413-522 -2750.

Woodland Garden Tour and Plant Sale Benefit

May 21 and 22, 9am - 4pm

A woodland garden tour and special plant sale at 90 Call Road in Colrain will benefit the Colrain Historical Society. The extensive gardens wander along the forest edge and house and are bounded by the Fox Brook and centuries old stone walls. Rhododendrons, Azaleas and Mountain Laurel will be blooming along with Spring ephemerals. Special and rare Spring plants can be seen including Lady Slippers at the woods edge.

The plant sale will feature woodland and Spring plants as well a rarely found collection of Epimedium from a specialty grower. Yellow transectional peonies will also be for sale.

The cost is $10.00 for the tour and plant sale. Admission includes 1 free raffle ticket for unusual plants donated from garden centers. Refreshments will be served.

Please wear walking shoes as the terrain is uneven. The event will be held rain or shine.

Please call 413-624-8800 for more information.

Program: A Hurrah’s Nest and other Yankee Talk

May 12th, 7 pm 

Sarah and Harry Hollister will present a lively reading of a New England short story from the “local colorist” period (1860-1900)*, when the Colrain Historical Society resumes in-person programs at the Stacy Barn behind the Pitt House Thursday, May 12. 

The story by Alice Brown provides a window into the lives of our ancestors, using local dialects, phrases and a fair amount of humor. The speakers will give a little background on the “local colorist” writers, most of whom were women.

Photo and brief biography of Alice Brown.

Source: https://www.bostonathenaeum.org/library/book-recommendations/athenaeum-authors/alice-brown

The program at 7:30 p.m. will follow a business meeting at 7:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served, and the program is free and open to the public. 

 Welcome back! 

 * During the late 1800’s “local color”, as defined as the characteristics and traits that make a location unique, was popular in literature.