Annabelle Pike and the Brooks Library (1900’s)
It was in 1882 the Brattleboro Public Library opened on Main Street. The library was located in a room in the Town Hall and was open three days a week for 8 hours a day. A large selection of books, and the knowledge found in their pages, was now available to just about everyone. There...Continue reading→
A History of Brattleboro’s Libraries 1842 to Present
Since 1842 Brattleboro readers have been privileged to borrow books: first, from its early Brattleboro Library Association and 40 years later, when the shareholders offered the books to the town from the Brattleboro Free Library. The free library moved in 1887 from its quarters in the lower Town Hall to the George J. Brooks Library.Continue reading→
Rudyard Kipling’s Residence in Vermont – As Seen by the Vermont Phoenix
Howard Shapiro collected this information about Rudyard Kipling’s residence by combing through old copies of the Vermont Phoenix, and put it all together in an annotated scrapbook. You can view the scrapbook at archive.org.
Williams Street then and now.
Williams Street then and now during the construction of Interstate 91.
McNeill’s Brewery
BHS believes the building that became McNeill’s was constructed in 1892 and originally served as one of the fire stations on Elliot Street. The 1892 structure was a replacement for the fire station that had been there previously. McNeill’s moved into the building in 1990 and began brewing beer in January 1991. Ray McNeill Ray...Continue reading→
Hinsdale Bridge History – Eight and Counting…
Saturday, March 28, 1920 the Hinsdale Bridge between Brattleboro and Island Park collapsed into the Connecticut River. The winter had produced a great deal of snow, a warm spell caused a quick melt, and eight to ten inches of ice were still on the river. The Brattleboro Daily Reformer gave the following description of what...Continue reading→
Fort Dummer and the Vernon Dam
In 1976 the Brattleboro Reformer reported on the archeological dig that occurred at the Fort Dummer site along the Connecticut River.The site is about 1 mile south of downtown Brattleboro, along the Connecticut River. Fort Dummer was built on the banks of the Connecticut River in 1724. Its purpose was to protect English settlements in northern...Continue reading→
Development and Indigenous Burials
In 1922 the business community was pretty excited. Companies along Vernon Road were having a great deal of success. The White River Chair Company, Crosby Milling and Fort Dummer Cotton Mill had all settled into the southeast corner of town and caused a housing boom. Adding to the excitement was the announcement that Presbrey-Leland of...Continue reading→
Hinsdale Bridge
Saturday, March 28, 1920 the Hinsdale Bridge between Brattleboro and Island Park collapsed into the Connecticut River. The winter had produced a great deal of snow, a warm spell caused a quick melt, and eight to ten inches of ice were still on the river. The Brattleboro Daily Reformer gave the following description of what...Continue reading→
New Bridge! Old Newspaper Accounts
Excerpts from local newspapers concerning the replacement of the covered bridge connecting Brattleboro with Hinsdale. March 7, 1902 The old Connecticut River Bridge in Brattleboro, known as the old toll bridge, had the closest call in its history and it is now in such battered and weakened condition that it will probably be a better...Continue reading→
Brooks House
In November 1869 the St. Albans Weekly Messenger reported on the status of Brattleboro, a town that was about as far away from St. Albans as you could get and still be in Vermont. The paper was commenting on Brattleboro’s recent hard times. In October, a Whetstone Brook freshet had wiped out many of the...Continue reading→
Island Park – Brattleboro’s Playground
In the Connecticut River there used to be a pretty big island between Brattleboro and Hinsdale. In the 1800’s it was over 22 acres. 1862 In 1862 a Connecticut Valley flood devastated the island. The tollhouse was washed away, as was the farmhouse, and when the waters subsided about eight sandy acres of land remained....Continue reading→