Helen Dorr and the Carnegie Hero Medal (1915-1922)
In 1915 a little seven year old girl named Helen Dorr was recovering from a traumatic few months. In mid-November her father, Arthur Dorr, died from complications resulting from severe diabetes. He was thirty two years old and operated a machine that made stationary in a paper mill along the Whetstone Brook. As his health...Continue reading→
Harriet Howard and St. Patrick’s Day (1910)
In 1910 the luck of the Irish visited Brattleboro’s Harriet Howard. Twenty two years earlier she had moved to town with her husband. He was a dairy farmer and she was a seamstress. According to a local newspaper article, Harriet surprisingly received a letter from a Dublin, Ireland lawyer and was told she had inherited...Continue reading→
George Washington, Ona Judge and Susannah Bradshaw (slavery 1840’s)
George Washington was born in 1732. He was the first President of the United States, leader of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and presided over the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. He certainly was a great influence on the founding and formation of the United States. While researching the life of Brattleboro’s Susannah Bradshaw...Continue reading→
Florence Estey and the DAR Forest (1930’s)
On August 24, 1934 the Vermont Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) dedicated an Addison County land preserve to the memory of Brattleboro’s Florence Gray Estey. Mrs. Estey had died the previous year and the DAR chose her birthday for the ceremony. The DAR purchased the 160 acres nestled against the shore of Lake Champlain...Continue reading→
Eveylyn Harris (1897-1922)
Evelyn Harris was born in 1897. Her father was the treasurer of the Brattleboro Savings Bank. Her Brother, Fred Harris, was a year and a half older and went on to become a Brattleboro legend. He graduated from Dartmouth College, became President of the Brattleboro Outing Club, organized the construction of the ski jump named...Continue reading→
Evelyn Harris and the ski jump (1920’s)
This week in Brattleboro History we’re going to focus on one of Brattleboro’s many independent women…you may have heard of past trailblazers like Clarina Nichols, Mary Wilkins, Dr. Grace Burnett, Marion McCune Rice and Mary Cabot. Each, in her own way, demonstrated a strength and ability to carve a successful female path in a male-dominated...Continue reading→
Eleanor Roosevelt, Putney School and Integration (1956)
In June, 1956 Eleanor Roosevelt traveled from Hyde Park, New York to Putney, Vermont in order to give the commencement address for the Putney School. Mrs. Roosevelt wrote in her daily newspaper column that the road to Putney “goes through the mountainous countryside-not very high mountains, but friendly, small ones-heavily wooded, with many streams rushing...Continue reading→
Dr. Grace Burnett (1886-1963)
This week in Brattleboro History we are going to focus on the first female doctor in Brattleboro, Grace Burnett. Miss Burnett was born in West Dummerston in 1886. She grew up around animals and loved horses. She always wanted to be a doctor and was determined to find a way to make this happen. As...Continue reading→
Dorothy Lamour and War Bond Rally (1942)
In 1942 the world was at war. In December of 1941 the U.S. had been attacked by Japan and the fear of an enemy invasion meant that most Americans were ready to sacrifice at home in order to help the war effort. During the spring of 1942 a ration system was begun that set limits...Continue reading→
Clarina Nichols and Women’s Suffrage (1840’s-1920)
In August, 1920 the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution granted women the right to vote in state and national elections. In the 1800’s, here in Vermont, women’s rights were very limited. Property, personal and voting rights did not exist for women in the early 19th century. Local woman Clarina Nichols worked to change that...Continue reading→
Clarina Howard and Women’s Rights (1810-1885)
Clarina Howard was born January 25, 1810 in West Townshend, Vermont. Her parents enrolled her in the local school and she had a great deal of success, performing well, and graduating high school as the valedictorian. All of the other graduates were boys. After graduation her parents introduced her to Justin Carpenter. He was ten...Continue reading→
Clara Antonetti, Radio and Welcome Center
In 1950 Brattleboro’s first broadcasting station, WTSA, began. The station appeared at frequency 1,450 kilocycles on your radio dial, (AM 1450). It went on the air April 20th and was the eighth radio station established in Vermont. The 170-foot radio tower was built on a swampy site just north of the Milk Plant on Putney...Continue reading→