Brattleboro Historical Society Founder John Carnahan Final Interview
Brattleboro Historical Society founder, John Carnahan has passed. We interviewed John in August of 2022 at his home. We think the is the last recorded interview with John. It’s about 35 minutes long. Throughout the interview John’s intelligence, thoughtfulness, humility, and love of Brattleboro are evident. If you did not know John, we think you...Continue reading→
How Did Flatboats Work?
This week in Brattleboro history we are going to focus on early trade and transportation. Before interstate highways and train rails there was the Connecticut River. The Abenaki used the river to trade tools and goods throughout New England. When Europeans arrived in the 1700’s, they too, wanted to move goods along the Connecticut River....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→
Log Drives
In March of 1916 the Brattleboro Reformer ran an article explaining that the great Connecticut River log drives that had impacted our region since 1869 were done. For 45 years the river towns witnessed log drives that began in late March and ended in early September. Those log drives were over. In 1915, 500 lumbermen...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→
Bridges and Floods
In 1889 a “remarkably strong and substantial” suspension bridge was built across the Connecticut River to connect Brattleboro with Chesterfield, NH. It was the culmination of a series of negotiations designed to improve east/west transportation between Brattleboro, Chesterfield and Hinsdale, NH. The bridge was built by the Berlin Bridge Company of Connecticut. At the beginning...Continue reading→
Soldiers’ Monument Tablet on Juneteenth
On June 19, 2022 the town of Brattleboro unveiled a corrective and interpretative tablet that was placed next to the Civil War Soldiers’ Monument. A town committee crafted the text of the tablet and the Select Board approved the new installation and funding for the project. The inaccuracy of the monument was first brought to...Continue reading→
Brattleboro’s Burgeoning Ski Industry
In 1935 Brattleboro was well-known in the burgeoning New England skiing community. The annual Brattleboro Outing Club ski jump attracted thousands of people to the area every year. New Englanders came to Brattleboro all winter to experience winter sports opportunities. For example, in January 1935, 700 people arrived on a special “Winter Sports” train originating...Continue reading→
George Bemis and the Phone Message for Coolidge
In 1954 George Bemis became the owner and manager of Hotel Brooks. In 1976 he was honored as the Chamber of Commerce’s Man of the Year. During his time in town he was a big supporter of the Brattleboro Outing Club. At the dinner, held at Dalem’s Chalet, Bemis explained his claim to fame happened...Continue reading→
Wesselhoeft Water Cure
Dr. Wesselhoeft In the 1840’s one in five children born alive did not live to see their 1st birthday. The average life expectancy was less than 40 years. Many doctors bled their patients when they didn’t feel well and prescribed medicines that contained mercury and other poisonous metals. About half of the patients who had...Continue reading→
Snow Removal Equipment – Changes Over Time
By WAYNE CARHART In New England when people lived mostly on farms, snow removal was limited to clearing a path from the house to the barn if the two buildings were not connected by a series of sheds, as they often were. Most of the occupant’s needs were met within the confines of their house...Continue reading→
Maple Sugaring
Sugar Import About 125 years ago the Vermont Phoenix, a Brattleboro newspaper, published an article by local sugar maker John Gale concerning the annual gathering of maple sap during the early spring. The practice was learned from Indigenous peoples of the Northeast and adopted by European colonizers as soon as they arrived in North America....Continue reading→