Sallie Joy White (1847-1909)

On March 2, 1870 the Boston Post reporter Sallie Joy visited town and wrote “Brattleboro has had a fire and a flood, and now it has a Woman Suffrage Convention.  I saw an old farmer yesterday with the inevitable blue woolen frock and cart whip snugly stowed under his...

Ruth Atkinson and the Trees BHS (1950’s)

A little over seventy years ago, UVM Professor Leon Dean offered a course in “Vermont History and Folklore”. The course was designed for local teachers and met for fifteen weeks. It was offered through the University of Vermont Extension Service. Teachers could earn...

Mary Wilkins, famous author

In 1867, shortly after the Civil War, Mary Wilkins’ family moved to Brattleboro. She was 15 years old. Her family had left Randolph, Massachusetts because her father was in the building trades and New England was suffering through a recession after the war. Many of...

Mary Wilkins and Mt. Wantastiquet (1925)

This week in Brattleboro history we will speak about the power of childhood memories and how they can have a lasting impact on people for the rest of their lives. In December, 1925 the famous author Mary Wilkins Freeman wrote to our local newspaper about her memories...