![[Flag of Plainfield, Massachusetts]](../images/u/us-mapln.gif)
image by Masao Okazaki, 25 June 2019
Last modified: 2020-06-13 by rick wyatt
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image by Masao Okazaki, 25 June 2019
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Press release:
http://www.senatordowning.com/press-releases/747/plainfield-town-flag-presented-at-the-state-house
Plainfield Town Flag Presented at the State House
June 04, 2014
BOSTON – Today, State Senator Benjamin B. Downing (D- Pittsfield) and State
Representative Stephen Kulik (D- Worthington) presented the new, official
Plainfield town flag to the Superintendent of the Bureau of the State House,
Tammy Kraus at a ceremony in the Great Hall of Flags in the Massachusetts State
House. Once properly cataloged by the Bureau, Plainfield’s flag will be added to
the impressive array of municipal flags in the Great Hall of Flags to be admired
by all State House visitors.
The Great Hall of Flags serves as the
largest function room in the Massachusetts State House. Two decades ago the
Bureau began collecting flags from the 351 Commonwealth communities to display
them throughout the Great Hall, thereby improving the acoustics of the room.
Officials are seeking to complete the collection this year, in time for the 20th
anniversary of the program.
Since 2009 Downing and Kulik have
periodically written to Boards of Selectmen in the communities not currently
represented in the Great Hall, inviting them to submit a flag. Prior to today
Downing has proudly sponsored flag presentation ceremonies for Egremont,
Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Pittsfield, Stockbridge,
Tyringham and Worthington.
The adoption of Plainfield’s new flag was
driven by the late Jim Pilgrim. In February 2011 he learned Downing was
sponsoring a flag design contest with the City of Pittsfield and contacted the
Senator to inquire whether Plainfield had a flag. Upon learning his community
was not represented in the Great Hall Mr. Pilgrim requested that the Select
Board hold a contest to design a town flag.
Following his request, the
Select Board announced a flag design contest, during which several designs were
submitted by Plainfield residents. After much deliberation a winning design
submitted by Alfred (Jim) Feeley was chosen by the Select Board. The colors and
patterns used by Mr. Feeley in his flag design represent Plainfield's beautiful
landscape and history in agriculture:
Background of green hills:
symbolize that Plainfield is one of the "hilltowns" of western Massachusetts;
Blue wavy lines: symbolic of Plainfield’s many rivers and streams;
Blue
sky with wavy white lines: symbolic of Plainfield’s open rural skies;
Ring of
grain: symbolize Plainfield’s agricultural zoning and open fields for produce;
and
Rooster: An exact copy of the original weathervane on top of the original
town hall, also symbolic of the "Right to Farm".
Paula King, Plainfield’s
Administrative Secretary notes that a wooden cut-out of this rooster is
currently on display by the Plainfield Historical Society at the Shaw-Hudson
House.
Masao Okazaki, 11 July 2019
![[Municipal seal]](../images/u/us-mapln).gif)
image located by Paul Bassinson, 3 May 2020
Source:
https://plainfield-ma.us/site/town-seal.png
Paul Bassinson, 3 May 2020
