iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 07/10/2026

Vermont's Foliage season is in full swing. Here's an image from out collection: this image is from a postcard (color by Frank L. Forward) that read "Vermont’s magnificent fall foliage spectacle can be seen between Sept. 25th and Oct. 15th."

A postcard featuring a colorful foliage scene

0101

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 07/10/2026

By the Civil War, 60% of Vermont’s forests had been cut down; twenty years later, Vermont was on its way to becoming the least forested state in New England, with only 25 percent of the state covered with trees. The environmental consequences to the forests, streams, and wildlife were enormous.

a historical image of a log drive in Vermont

192

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 02/10/2026

Thank you to all of our weavers who took part in our Fiber Arts Workshop with Pamela Wilson on September 26th! We enjoyed hosting this event, and we hope that everyone came away inspired and enriched.

an instructor demonstrating fiber weaving

080

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 02/10/2026

As part of their visit, they toured the Spaulding building to see the improvements that we've made since the 2023 flood, and briefed them on the ongoing work that the building requires.

a group of people standing in a circle in a parking lot.

020

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 02/10/2026

Earlier this month, we hosted members of the Vermont Arts & Culture Disaster and Resilience Network (VACDaRN) steering committee at the Vermont History Center in Barre!

a group of people looking up at the Vermont History Center building

120

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 01/10/2026

We were thrilled to welcome students from North Country Union high school to the Vermont History Center's Research and Exhibition Gallery today! We love bringing students into our space to examine the objects in our collection and learn about the stories behind them.

040

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 30/09/2026

We also have the invitation and ticket for the film that went out to filmgoers, with proceeds benefiting New England Flood Relief.

A ticket inviting people to the premiere

020

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 30/09/2026

The first three images are the program from the premiere, which was sponsored by the State of Vermont Development Association, and featured Hitchcock and one of the film's stars, Shirley MacLaine. Dinner included Vermont apple cider, lobster, Vermont-grown salads, bread, and cheese.

the dinner menu for the trouble with harry benefit dinner

110

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 30/09/2026

On this day in history: Alfred Hitchcock's The Trouble With Harry has its world premiere at the Paramount Theatre in Barre in 1955! Hitchcock directed the film in Vermont, taking advantage of the fall foliage.

A movie poster promoting the premiere of Alfred Hitchcock's The Trouble With Harry

150

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 25/09/2026

On this day in history: the Battle of Longue-Pointe takes place in Montreal in 1775. This battle was an attempt by Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys to capture the Canadian city from the British.

A black and white illustration of a man opening his shirt while being surrounded by men pointing bayonets at him

120

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 18/09/2026

The latest issue of our member magazine, History Connections, is now out! This issue is all about the 50 for 250 project and includes:

110

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 17/09/2026

Here's a selection of images from photographer Jack Delano from the 1941 fair from The Library of Congress's collection.

030

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 17/09/2026

The Tunbridge World's Fair kicks off today in Tunbridge! The fair's been held almost annually (with a couple of exceptions in 1917/1918, 1942-44, and 2020) since 1867, and is a celebration of Vermont's agriculture and farming culture.

140

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 03/09/2026

Join local fiber artist Pamela Wilson for an exploration of Vermont's historic textiles, and an introduction to handspinning techniques at the Vermont History Museum, Sept 26. You can register here: pci.jotform.com/form/2619344...

Fiber arts workshop at the vermont history museum with pamela wilson. September 26, 10-2, 109 state street, montpelier vermont

021

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 20/08/2026

On this day in Vermont history: Alexander Twilight graduates from Middlebury College in 1823. He's the first person of color to graduate from a US institution with a college degree, and would later go on to become the first elected to serve in a state legislature in the country in 1836.

0122

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 20/08/2026

We included an Atwater Kent radio from 1923 in our 50 for 250 exhibit at the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier, and you can read about its place in Vermont's history in Llu Mulvaney-Stanak's essay in our book, 50 for 250, "History of Radio in Vermont."

130

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 20/08/2026

His early radios were prohibitively expensive: one would set you back around $117 ($2,196 today). But for a rural state, radio was a useful way for Vermonters to connect with the larger world, and demand grew in the decades that followed.

100

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 20/08/2026

As the radio industry grew, inventors and companies began manufacturing and selling receivers. One such individual was Burlington's Atwater Kent, who established his company in Philadelphia.

100

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 20/08/2026

Today is #NationalRadioDay! It's one of those unofficial holidays that seeks to bring attention and commemorate the importance of radio and the role that it's played in our nation's history.

150

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 12/08/2026

The last such event took place over Vermont in April 2024, and before that, on August 31st, 1932. Here's a map of the route that eclipse took, published in "Supplement to the American Ephemeris 1932." This comes via the Science Museum Group collections.

a map showing the route of the 1932 eclipse over New England.

011

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 12/08/2026

There's a Total Solar Eclipse taking place across Europe today: New England will get to see a small glimpse of it, with a partial eclipse starting around 1PM. (Make sure you're wearing the proper protective glasses, if you have them handy!) Here are some glasses from the 1932 and 2024 eclipses:

150

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 07/08/2026

Today is #NationalPurpleHeartDay, which commemorates the creation of one of the US's oldest honors, and the people who received it.

140

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 06/08/2026

On this day in Vermont history: Alden Partridge founded Norwich University in 1819. It was originally located in Norwich, before eventually relocating to Northfield after a fire in 1866. Here's a photograph of the school's Old South Barracks, located on the original campus in Norwich.

a black and white photograph of a building with some people in uniform standing in front of it

141

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 28/07/2026

After that, we headed over to the St. Johnsbury History & Heritage Center for their 250th celebration and retirement party for founding director Peggy Pearl.

030

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 28/07/2026

VHS staff recently visited the McIndoes Academy Community Center in Barnet to check out their renovations and to talk about their exhibit spaces.

121

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 28/07/2026

On this day in Vermont History: The 10th Cavalry Regiment (a Black unit better known as the Buffalo Soldiers) arrived at Fort Ethan Allen in Colchester, Vermont in 1909.

A group of Black soldiers posed before a camera. Half of the group is standing in a row, the other half are sitting before them.

170

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 24/07/2026

Today is Amelia Earhart Day! The famed aviator was born on this day in 1897 in Atchison, Kansas. Here's an image of her during that visit with Governor Charles Smith at the Vermont State House in Montpelier.

A black and white photo of a man and a woman in a room with a couch and two paintings behind them.

161

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 18/07/2026

On this day in Vermont's history: abolitionist Frederick Douglass took part in the Great Convention, a series of anti-slavery speeches that took place across the country in 1843. He spoke in both Middlebury and Ferrisburgh on July 17th and 18th, which he later noted were received very differently.

171

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 17/07/2026

While the US semiquincentennial took place 250 years ago, the US Bicentennial celebrations were underway throughout 1976. Here's a handful of items from our library collection that shows how Vermonters were observing the milestone:

010

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 16/07/2026

Tonight at the Brookfield Old Town Hall: author Robert Mello will be speaking about Moses Robinson, Vermont's Founding Father that you've never heard of. It's put on by the Brookfield Community Partnership and will start at 6:00PM.

130

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 16/07/2026

VHS has been going on the road this summer! Earlier this week, we stopped by the Milton Public Library for a You Be the Historian program involving stereoscopes, primary sources, and artifacts!

120

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 04/07/2026

Today, we mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, reflecting on not just one event but the entirety of our nation’s past 250 years.

120

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 03/07/2026

We invited a number of scholars to study and contextualize each object, and they each produced an essay for each one, exploring its place in Vermont’s history.

100

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 03/07/2026

50 for 250 is more than an exhibit: it’s a also book that explores the last 250 years of Vermont’s Story through 50 objects from our collection!

A copy of the hardcover edition of 50 for 250.

110

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 03/07/2026

These objects will be on display at the Vermont History Museum through December 2026. We’ve published all of the accompanying essays in a book, which is also now available from our museum store, online, and in select Vermont bookstores!

020

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 03/07/2026

This has been a labor of love for us: an exploration of the last 250 years of Vermont’s history, as seen through 50 objects from our collection. It stretching from the earliest days of the state to the modern day and covers everything from statehood to culture and everything in between.

141

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 03/07/2026

Our new exhibit, 50 for 250 is officially open!

50 for 250

In this, our nation's 250th year, the Vermont Historical Society presents fifty artifacts that tell 250 years of Vermont and, by extension, American stories. Selected from over 30,000 objects and thousands of linear feet of archives preserved by the Vermont Historical Society, these artifacts range from profound to common.

A diverse group of writers - including professional scholars, local historians, community leaders, politicians, interns, and award-winning high school students - have collaborated on presenting their unique interpretation of each object and its place in Vermont history.

The Vermont Historical Society, along with museums around the world, uses artifacts to capture attention and convey history in ways more universal than the written word. Objects often speak for people who have no voice in the written record. They represent creativity, utility, and imagination unique to their form. Some - like the mounted catamount in the museum lobby, draw immediate attention - while others, like a small folk carving of a rural kitchen party, require greater scrutiny.

The artifacts chosen for this project do not tell the whole story of our state. They give insights into specific times, movements, communities, industries, conflicts, and celebrations throughout a

250-year time period while highlighting objects unique to the Vermont Historical Society. They were present at some of the most important moments in Vermont history - and some of the most obscure. Together, they help us understand the past and connect it to the present.

What stories do you think we should tell about Vermont?

What stories do the objects in your life tell?

130

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 02/07/2026

The Battle of Gettysburg continued into its second day on this day in 1863. The battle was a turning point in the American Civil War, and Vermonters played a prominent role at several critical points during the battle.

Here's an image of the flag for the 13th Vermont Infantry Regiment, who fought at the battle.

1101

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 01/07/2026

Vermont's State House, Supreme Court, and the Pavilion Building are kicking off this year's 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence today in Montpelier!

the front of the vermont history museum in montpelier

140

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 26/06/2026

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed: the exhibit will officially open on July 3rd (we'll be open by donation!) and we can't wait for you to check it out.

110

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 26/06/2026

This is a special exhibit: it features 50 objects from the last 250 years, and last night's event welcomed VHS members and their guests, a number of the authors who wrote essays for the project and photographers who took pictures for it, as well as Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers.

100

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 26/06/2026

We had a phenomenal time last night at our member opening for our new exhibit, 50 for 250!

120

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 24/06/2026

We have some bittersweet news today: we're saying goodbye to Patty Wiley, our library assistant. Patty has worked for the Vermont Historical Society as an educator and librarian, and has been an indispensable figure since she began working here in 2000!

151

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 18/06/2026

We’re currently installing the exhibit at the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier, and we’re excited to show it off to you! VHS Members will have an opportunity to check out the exhibit early on June 25th, starting at 4:30PM.

Two women examining a blue garment on a stand

110

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 18/06/2026

50 for 250 is coming! Our next exhibit and book will focus on the story of Vermont through the last 250 years, as told through 50 special objects from our collection!

131

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 18/06/2026

Here’s an item from our collection from the conflict: a uniform coat and hat worn by Jacob Perkins of Orwell reportedly took part in the battle of Plattsburgh between September 6th and 11th 1814.

A uniform, hat, and saber on display at the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier.

020

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 17/06/2026

This is a powder horn that he carried. The inscription on the side reads "JOSEPH : HOWES : OF : LEBANON : HIS" and "HORN : MADE : IN : WICKED : CAMBRIDGE", and it features carvings of Boston.

020

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 17/06/2026

He served in Washington's army during the Revolutionary War and fought in the battle. He was born in 1752 in Lebanon, CT but eventually settled in Norwich VT and died in 1824.

detail on the powder horn, with buildings and the word 'bost' carved into it.

110

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 17/06/2026

The Battle of Bunker Hill takes place in Boston on this day in 1775. Several participants eventually reached Vermont, including Joseph Howes.

141

The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 13/06/2026

Today is Vermont Days across the state of Vermont: we're open for free at both the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier and the Vermont History Center in Barre!

042