The Town of Colrain, Massachusetts is located in Franklin County north of Shelburne Falls. The eastern border of Colrain follows the Green River, bordering Leyden with Greenfield to the southeast. To the west lies Heath, with Charlemont to the southwest, and to the north are the towns of Halifax and Guilford, Vermont. The town is in the northeastern part of the Berkshires and is home to two state forests -- Catamount State Forest to the Southwest, and half of the H.O. Cook State Forest to the northeast.
As of the 2018 U.S. census, there were 1,677 people living in Colrain. The town employs an open town meeting led by a Select Board.
The town was first settled in 1735 and incorporated in 1761, and recently celebrated its 250th anniversary.
The Catamount Schoolhouse Flag image, above, is a photograph of a painting by American illustrator Frank E. Schoonover. The Town of Colrain is recognized as having the first flag flown over an American schoolhouse, in 1812. A larger copy of this image can be found on the Catamount Hill Flag Raising 200th Anniversary website. The image is courtesy of the Schoonover Fund.
The Colrain Town Flag is on display in the lobby of the Town Office, and was created by Mildred F. Scranton in 1994. This photograph is courtesy of the Colrain 250th committee, and more information about the Town Flag can be found on the Colrain 250th Anniversary website.
