Colrain Historical Society
The Colrain Historical Society was founded in 1957 by G. William Pitt, a Colrain native. Pitt conceived the Historical Society as having a dual mission, to preserve his collection of theatrical memorabilia and serve as a repository of objects pertaining to the history of Colrain.
The Historical Society's collection is cared for by volunteer curatorial committee members and sponsors special events including, a Strawberry Social, the Colraine Village Fair in mid September and Cider Day in November.
Visits by appointment to the G. William Pitt House can be arranged by writing to: The G. William Pitt House, P.O. Box 162, Colrain, MA 01340
Known as Coleraine when it was founded, it remains a lovely small town, with lots of rich history and scenic areas to visit.
One of the town's interesting sites is a bit difficult to find, but worth the hike. Located on the mountain known as Catamount, is a monument marking the location of the first public schoolhouse to raise an American flag. This historic event happened in May, 1812.
A hike to Catamount Lake is an enjoyable family hike, since most of it is via a dirt road and you'll be rewarded with a wonderful mountaintop body of water and very few people. |
Shelburne Historical Society
The Town of Shelburne was incorporated in 1768. The Shelburne Historical Society and Museum is housed in an architectural treasure built in 1880 as a private school (Arms Academy), funded by Ira Arms, a wealthy benefactor of the town. Pictured below, the Museum is located at the corner of Church and Maple Streets, on the Shelburne side of the Deerfield River.
HOURS: The Museum is open to the public on Wednesdays from 12 PM to 4 PM. Summer Hours: July - September, 2nd and 4th Sundays from 2 PM to 5 PM. Special group visits or appointments can be arranged by phone, call 413 625-6150. |
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New Englanders are proud of their heritage, and many of the area towns sponsor historic societies which preserve properties and capture and preserve the past for the future. Most are staffed by volunteers and are open limited days/hours or by appointment, so call first. If you are able to get in, a treasure of carefully preserved photos, documents and artifacts of early American life in the area await your perusal. |
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Ashfield Historical Society
The Ashfield Historical Society was formed in 1961 to collect, preserve, and present material related to the history of Ashfield, The society operates as a public charity, run mostly by volunteers.
Our museum collection includes more than 5,000 objects, a reference library, and the Howes Brothers' photographic collection of over 23,000 glass negatives. The building itself was used as a store during most of the years since 1830. The store was a base for equipping peddlers with essences from the oils of spearmint, peppermint, spruce, tansy, wintergreen, and other native plants. The room in the front of the building has been restored to recreate an 1850's general store. Other rooms exhibit a kitchen, parlor, bedroom, and children's room. The barn behind the museum contains a 1904 fire hose cart, a horse drawn sleigh, a snow roller, and various tools and implements.
Our museum is open to the public at certain times and appointments may be made for research purposes. The Society sponsors the annual Ashfield Fall Festival as well as a variety of fund-raising projects such as bake sales, raffles, pancake breakfasts, and concerts. |
Buckland Historical Society
The Buckland Historical Society museum, located in Buckland village, offers a glimpse into this community's past through antiques, photography, and other memorabilia. The Historical Society owns the Wilder Homestead, which is a fully-preserved 1790s-era house that remained in the same family until it was deeded in the 1990s.
To find the Museum, take Route 112 south to Upper Street; the building is at the corner of Upper Street and East Charlemont Road. The Wilder Homestead is on Route 112. Signs are put along the way when the museum is open. The Museum and Wilder Homestead are both open to the public, free, on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of July and August from 2 to 4pm and by appointment, 413 625-9763. |
Museums
The area boasts a number of museums capturing modern and classical art, early American history, industrial history, agriculture, nature and more. While some are small ‘home-grown’ operations, others have extensive and world-renowned collections studied by scholars around the world.
Click here for a museum listing. |
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