Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events – Mark Your Calendars

•  August 12, 2017 – Catamount Hill Association Annual Meeting

The 2017 Annual Meeting of the Association will be held beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 12 at the First Baptist Church, 81 Foundry Village Road in Colrain.  Join friends, kinfolk and Catamount Hill descendants as we hold our Annual Meeting in keeping with our status as a non-profit corporation.  Annual Meetings are held in the years between Quinquennial Reunions (which is also an annual meeting).  Come hear about the Association’s ongoing activities and accomplishments over the past year from reports by our Officers and Board of Directors and learn how you can help with the Association’s new initiatives.

Letters from Maud, the story of a 4-year courtship in 1905 to 1909 between Catamount descendants Maude Purrington and Frank Johnson is the subject of a presentation following our business meeting.

 Light refreshments will be served.

Post meeting activity: Weather     permitting, we will offer a tour of the oldest part of the nearby West Branch Cemetery where markers for many of the earliest Catamount settlers are to be found.

 

• September 17, 2017 – Catamount Hill Northeast Loop Rock Walk with Muriel Russell

On Saturday, September 17^th, the Catamount Hill Association and the Deerfield River Watershed Association are sponsoring a free hike led by Muriel Russell. Meet at the parking area at the upper end of East Catamount Hill Road in Colrain at 10 a.m. The Northeast Loop on Catamount Hill follows old town roads bordered by rock walls. As we amble along the old roads and through the woods, the group will investigate the many unusual rock formations, foundations, cliffs, and wildflowers (and we should also find some mushrooms). The trail passes cellar holes where Patience Cannon, Ezra & Susannah Willis, and several different Shippee families had homes long ago. We will eat lunch at the Devil’s Oven Cave, next to The Dens. Hikers should bring lunch, water, and a flashlight to investigate the cave and dens. Please carry extra socks, and use unscented insect repellent. This walk is approximately 3 miles, on uneven terrain, but is not too hilly. For more information and to register for this walk please call 413/624-3311.

 

• October 15, 2017 – Catamount Hill South Loop Walk with Muriel Russell

 On Saturday October 15^th, the Catamount Hill Association and Deerfield River Watershed Association are sponsoring a free walk on the South side of Catamount Hill, led by Muriel Russell. To join this hike, meet at the corner of Route 112 & Charlemont Road in the Shattuckville section of Colrain at 10 a.m. From there, we will carpool to the trail head. The old roads pass the home sites where the Farley, Peter Shippee, and Holden families lived. After lunch, at the Peter Shippee Rock House foundation, next to a beaver pond, we will go over to the Monument where the American flag was first raised over a public school, in May of 1812. As October is Massachusetts Archaeology month, we will be investigating several areas where Russell thinks early mills once stood. Making a living on the rocky terrain of Catamount Hill was difficult and so mills provided an income for some of the families there. This walk is about 3 miles long, over rocky and hilly terrain, crosses at least one brook, and passes large beaver dams. Please bring water, lunch, and carry extra socks.  For more information and to register for this walk please call 413/624-331.