Book: Where the schoolhouse flag first floated : the story of Catamount Hill by Carol Purington. The beautiful and historically intriguing section of Colrain known as Catamount Hill is widely remembered for a unique flag-raising that took place in 1812. But there is much more to know about this area and its people, and in this 22-page prose booklet Carol Purington tells the story of a place fascinating for its natural beauty and unusual record of community life, as well as for its role in American history.
http://wmars.cwmars.org/record=b3497785~S14
Photo of the commemorative stone marker at the schoolhouse site on Catamount: http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/thc/5a44000/5a44000/5a44099r.jpg
Hugh McClennan (1743-1816)
Fought in the American Revolution; played a prominent role in Shays Rebellion; served in the Massachusetts Legislature from 1801-1810.
http://shaysrebellion.stcc.edu/shaysapp/person.do?shortName=hugh_mcclellan
Samuel Taggart (1754-1825)
United States Representative from Massachusetts (1803 - 1817); pastor of the Colrain Presbyterian Church; buried in Chandler Hill Cemetery.
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=T000012
William Draper
Fought in a skirmish with the "king's regular troops" in Lexington on April 19, 1775.
His account was published in the supplement of THE MILITARY JOURNALS OF TWO PRIVATE SOLDIERS, 1758--1775, WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIVE NOTES TO WHICH IS ADDED, A SUPPLEMENT, CONTAINING OFFICIAL PAPERS ON THE SKIRMISHES AT LEXINGTON AND CONCORD.
POUGHKEEPSIE: PUBLISHED BY ABRAHAM TOMLINSON AT THE MUSEUM. 1855.
Read the complete document online at: http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/20636/pg20636.txt.
"LEXINGTON, _April 25, 1775_.
"I, William Draper, of lawful age, and an inhabitant of Colrain,
in the county of Hampshire, and colony of Massachusetts Bay, in
New England, do testify and declare, that, being on the parade of
said Lexington, April 19th instant, about half an hour before
sunrise, the king's regular troops appeared at the meeting-house
of Lexington. Captain Parker's company, who were drawn up back of
said meeting-house on the parade, turned from said troops, making
their escape, by dispersing. In the meantime, the regular troops
made a huzza, and ran toward Captain Parker's company, who were
dispersing; and, immediately after the huzza was made, the
commanding officer of said troops (as I took him) gave the
command to the said troops--"Fire! fire! damn you, fire!"--and
immediately they fired, before any of Captain Parker's company
fired, I then being within three or four rods of said regular
troops. And further say not.
"WILLIAM DRAPER."
