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The Vermont Historical Society

@vermonthistory.org
2.7K followers 73 following 1.3K posts

Vermont's state historical society, an independent nonprofit, located in Montpelier and Barre. www.vermonthistory.org

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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
an instructor demonstrating fiber weaving a group of people sitting in chairs
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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.
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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
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 02/10/2026
National History Day has issued new guidance on the use of generative AI for all History Day projects:
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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.
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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
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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.
a handbill for the trouble with harrythe dinner menu for the trouble with harry benefit dinner
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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
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 29/09/2026
The Vermont Historical Society is pleased and honored to announce that we have acquired the Big Heavy World collection, which contains thousands of recordings, documents, and items covering Vermont's vibrant music scene from the last three decades. You can read more here:
vermonthistory.org
Vermont Historical Society takes over Big Heavy World's Collection of Vermont music
VHS is honored by Lockridge’s trust in our ability to preserve and ultimately share this incredible offering of Vermont’s music and is grateful for the opportunity to steward the next phase of this re...
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 26/09/2026
Copies should be headed their way to members, and we have copies available for sale at the Vermont History Museum, Vermont History Center, and online. vermonthistory.org/vermont-hist...
vermonthistory.org
Vermont History Journal Volume 94 is now available!
The latest issue of our scholarly journal
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 26/09/2026
+ - "Vermont's First Film Cameraman, Francisqui Doublier" by Hugo Martinez Cazon - "An 1820 Census Dilemma" by Nola A. Forbes - "Revolution in Regulation: Vermont's Act 250" by Quincy Sabick (2026 Vermont History Day Essay)
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 26/09/2026
+ - "Premature Burials: Free Lovers, Feminists, Spiritualists and the Antebellum Press" by John J. Navin - "A Tale of Three Cities: The Origins and Early History of the Vermont Maid Brand of Blended Syrup" by Matthew M. Thomas +
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 26/09/2026
This issue includes the following: - "Loyalists in Vermont" by George Kotlik - "Vermont's Deaf Founding Fathers and Mothers" by R.A.R. Edwards - "Cynthia Ranstead of Thetford, Cross-Dressing Women, and the Politics of Pants in the 1850s" by Elizabeth A. Allen +
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 26/09/2026
The latest issue of our journal, Vermont History is now out! This is our publication that features the latest new research and scholarship on topics of Vermont's state and local history.
vermonthistory.org
Vermont History Journal Volume 94 is now available!
The latest issue of our scholarly journal
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 25/09/2026
National History Day has announced a series of professional development opportunities for educators to attend workshops to bring inquiry-based learning into their classrooms. Vermont educators can attend one workshop in February 2027. Details: vermonthistory.org/vermont-hist...
vermonthistory.org
National History Day announces professional development workshop grant for Vermont teachers
National History Day is an annual competition for middle and high school students, and we administer the Vermont History Day competition each April. Our next competition will be held on April 3rd, 202...
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 25/09/2026
Allen's capture meant he was out of the fight for the rest of the war: he would be shipped off to England and wouldn't return to the US until 1778.
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 25/09/2026
Allen’s men crossed the St. Lawrence River the night before, but the British were alerted to their movement, and met them. After a 90 minute battle, Allen and his forces pulled back and surrendered.
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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
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 18/09/2026
If you’ve visited the Vermont Historical Society’s education website, Vermont History Explorer, you probably remember it as a site designed for students. It's now becoming a site for educators. Read more here:
vermonthistory.org
Built for teachers and history educators: the new Vermont History Explorer
When a teacher in the Northeast Kingdom, the Champlain Valley, or the southern Vermont hill towns pulls a resource from this site and uses it in their classroom, that’s when VHS’ mission happens in re...
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 18/09/2026
The issue is now out to members, with copies at the Vermont History Center in Barre and Vermont History Museum in Montpelier!
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 18/09/2026
🏛️ an overview of 50 for 250 and how the project came together 📖 a preview of some of the items in the exhibit and book 📸 how we photographed the objects 🎧 how we partnered with Bloomberg Connects to explore the exhibit.
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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:
a copy of history connections
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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.
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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.
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 04/09/2026
Intern Nate Youmans recently took a look into an item from our collection that reflects an interesting period of Montpelier's history: when the city issued license plates for bicycles. You can read more over on our blog: vermonthistory.org/vermont-hist...
vermonthistory.org
Riding Down Memory Lane: How Bicycles Highlight Our Little State’s Modernization
By Nate Youmans, VHS Intern With so many wonderful places to visit in Vermont, it is only fitting that we have plenty of ways to reach them. Services such as Carshare VT, public transportation, and Ub...
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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
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 22/08/2026
Author Robert Mello recently visited Across the Fence to talk about his book, When the Trees Came Back! You can watch the segment here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyjq...
youtube.com
When The Trees Came Back
YouTube video by Across the Fence
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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.
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 20/08/2026
You can also find more on our website: vermonthistory.org/early-days-o...
vermonthistory.org
Early Days of Radio, 1920 — Vermont Historical Society
Early Days of Radio, 1920: [[$gmc_audio]] Oral history transcriptions Click a name below for more information. All transcripts are in PDF format. Richard and Georgina B
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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."
a radio dial
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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.
a vacuum tube
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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.
an antique radio
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 20/08/2026
Vermont has a rich history with radios: the first radio station was WCAX, which began broadcasting in May 1922 (it became WCAX-TV in 1954!).
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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.
an antique radio
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 18/08/2026
This summer, we visited a ton of library across the state of Vermont for a series of programs oriented around civics and the practice of history! Read more about it here: vermonthistory.org/vermont-hist...
vermonthistory.org
Looking back on this summer's Vermont state library tour!
VHS visited 16 libraries throughout the state to bring Vermont History to public libraries!
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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.
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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:
a set of eclipse glasses from 1932a set of eclipse glasses from 2024
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 07/08/2026
You can read more about some of the medals in our collection here: vermonthistory.org/vermont-hist...
vermonthistory.org
Three Purple Hearts
By Andrew Liptak  In the waning days of the Revolutionary War, General George Washington faced a problem: after seven years of fighting, funding was running low, and his soldiers were exhausted. He de...
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 07/08/2026
He returned home after the war and eventually became a lawyer and was appointed to the Vermont Supreme Court in 1981. He donated the medal to VHS in 1999, and passed away in 2008
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 07/08/2026
This medal was presented to Louis Provost Peck of Montpelier, who served in the 17th Airborne Division during World War II and fought in France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. He took part in Operation Varsity, an arial invasion in Germany. He was wounded when the glider he was in crashed.
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 07/08/2026
It wasn't used again until the 1930s: Congress authorized it to honor soldiers who had been wounded in the line of duty, and it was retroactively awarded to veterans in the First World War.
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 07/08/2026
General George Washington issued the original order for the award on this day in 1782. It was originally called the "Badge of Military Merit", and was issued three times during the American Revolution.
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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.
A purple heart medal
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 06/08/2026
Partridge established a unique educational system: one that placed a focus on liberal arts, civil engineering, and military studies, in an attempt to establish a tradition of citizen soldiers in the country. It’s ultimately the founding point for the ROTC program.
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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
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 04/08/2026
Vermont Public's Brave Little State takes a look at the story of Bethel Granite: why it's unique and some of the story behind how it was originally mined. www.vermontpublic.org/podcast/brav...
vermontpublic.org
What’s the story behind Bethel’s famous white granite?
Bethel, Vermont is home to a rare geological treasure: a brilliant granite that’s often described as the whitest in the world.
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 28/07/2026
Registration is $100 for this 4-hour session, and includes all materials, space is limited to 12 participants. You can find more details and register here: vermonthistory.org/calendar/his...
vermonthistory.org
Historic Fiber Arts Workshop
Join us for a workshop with fiber artist Pamela Wilson, in this session we'll examine some historic fibers used in Vermont (linen, flax, and wool) and an overview of handspinning techniques. This 4 ho...
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The Vermont Historical Society @vermonthistory.org · 28/07/2026
Join us for a workshop with fiber artist Pamela Wilson on September 26th at the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier! We'll examine historic fibers used in Vermont (linen, flax, and wool) and an overview of handspinning techniques.
vermonthistory.org
Historic Fiber Arts Workshop
Join us for a workshop with fiber artist Pamela Wilson, in this session we'll examine some historic fibers used in Vermont (linen, flax, and wool) and an overview of handspinning techniques. This 4 ho...
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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.
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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.
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