Monterey Seeking Submissions for Town Flag Design

11:23AM / Tuesday, July 26, 2011Print Story | Email Story

MONTEREY, Mass. — The Selectmen and sate Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield, are sponsoring a contest to design an official flag for the town to hang in the Great Hall at the State House.

Residents are encouraged to submit a flag design: teachers, students, seniors, artists or any individual or group interested in creating a piece of Monterey history.

Once chosen, Monterey will present its flag to state officials in Boston. The Bureau of State Office Buildings began a project to improve the acoustics of the Great Hall in 1992 by collecting the official flags of the 351 commonwealth communities and hanging them throughout the space. State House visitors are often awed with the degree of detail represented in the flags and how they proudly display a community's history and heritage, said Downing

"Over the past two years, I have welcomed delegations from Pittsfield, Stockbridge, Otis and New Marlborough to the State House so they could present their flag to state officials," he said. "When visitors come to the State House and realize their hometown is not represented in the Great Hall, they are often disappointed. I'm excited to kick off this process and look forward to the day when Monterey's colors are hung in the Great Hall for all to admire."

Flag contest entry forms are available at www.montereyma.gov or can be picked up at Town Hall at 435 Main Road or at the Monterey Library at 452 Main Road. The deadline for submission is Oct. 31.

The community at large will vote for the top five finalists; those designs will then be judged by a panel of Monterey officials. The winning design will be announced on Dec. 12 and the new flag will be raised locally on Jan. 9, 2012.

After the local ceremony, Downing will host a delegation from the community in Boston to officially present Monterey's new flag to BSB officials at the State House.

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

Save & Earn with Greylock

3.30% APY 6-month certificate. Click to learn more! Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield Considers Repairing East Part Cemetery

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:57AM / Friday, October 02, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Historical Commission will consider grant opportunities for repairs to East Part Cemetery.

A resident reached out to the city with concerns about degradation in the half-acre burial ground at the top of Williams Street. East Part Cemetery was established in the early 1800s and has about 300 interments.

“It's a nice old cemetery, and basically, (the resident) had had concerns that the stone wall had taken some damage, the gravestones have taken some damage, and was wondering if there's anything that could be done to repair the gravestones and the wall," City Planner Kevin Rayner told the commission on Monday.

In cooperation with cemetery leadership and residents, the Historical Commission will consider applying for Community Preservation Act funds to support repairs. West Part Cemetery, on the other side of Pittsfield, has previously used CPA funds for revitalization work.

The 1080 Williams St. property is owned by the city and managed by the Pittsfield Cemetery Commission. Rayner presented photos of broken and overgrown gravestones, parts of the stone wall collapsing, and knocked-over obelisks.

Some aspects could use general maintenance and restoration, he observed.

According to the Pittsfield Cemetery and Crematory's website, East Part Cemetery was established around 1808 on land owned by Nathan Webb, who permitted and authorized its use as a public burying ground.

In 1842, Nathan Webb's son, also named Nathan Webb, deeded the property to the Methodist Episcopal Society of Pittsfield as a public burying ground, and in 1893 the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Society transferred their control of the cemetery to the Proprietors of the Pittsfield Cemetery. Their action was confirmed by the Berkshire Probate Court.