Historical events
In 1898 Brattleboro hosted a concert in the town hall auditorium on Main Street. The concert was organized to raise funds for the Brattleboro Soldiers Aid Society. This organization existed to support the soldiers serving in the Spanish American War and planned to raise $1000 at the event.
In 1843 the local paper, The Vermont Phoenix, published a revised history of Vermont’s influence during the Revolutionary War. The events in the Revolutionary War that were up for reinterpretation concerned Brattleboro and the Battle of Bennington. In 1843 the War for Independence had been over for 77 years and people thought they knew what had happened. History books had written about the reasons and outcomes of the war but new information was coming to light from sources that had not previously been represented in the documentation concerning the Revolutionary War. History books had long established that the Battle of Bennington, between the British and the Americans, was one of the turning points of the war. The Americans won the battle capturing, killing and wounding almost 1000 British soldiers. The British objective of the battle had been to seize as many supplies…including food, horses, cattle, wagon and oxen from the Vermonters as possible. The British […]
BHS and BAMS podcast the Wizard of Oz and The Latchis Memorial Theatre. Click on the link for the Youtube Video.
Making a Correction Two years ago, on June 19th, 2022, three young people honored seventeen African American soldiers who represented Brattleboro during the Civil War. The town installed a corrective plaque next to the Civil War Soldier’s Monument on the Common. A ceremony was held to acknowledge those who served during the war and were not recognized at the original monument ceremony in 1887. What follows is a recording of excerpts from the 2022 ceremony and an additional bit of information shared by students from this year’s BAMS 8th grade. Juneteenth is a federal holiday established in 2021. ] BrattHistoricalSoc · BHS e465-Juneteenth 2022 Civil War Soldier’s Monument
ANNUAL TALK ”The Extraordinary Mr. Estey: A Celebration” Local author Dennis Waring, Manufacturing the Muse, will fill us in on what made Jacob Estey so extraordinary, the possibility of EOM and BHS under the same roof at the Estey Organ Complex and ”EsteyFest” 2024 is coming to Brattleboro! What is that all about? BHS Research Room will be open so you can enjoy photos of Estey buildings, workers and family, numerous pieces of ephemera, books and even play an Estey organ! Volunteers will be happy to answer questions. Join us for refreshments and an enlightening, local history afternoon! Presented by Dennis Waring, president of the Estey Organ Museum Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 1 pm 230 Main Street Municipal Center, 3rd floor
Take a ride on the West River Railroad! Actually, along the route of the West River Railroad! Glenn Annis will lead this tour of the West River Railroad’s 36-mile route from Brattleboro to South Londonderry, sharing the Railroads history, while seeing first-hand the vestiges of the old railroad line along the way. Participants will board the bus by Newfane Common at 9:30 a.m. The group will head to Brattleboro and then up the West River Valley to South Londonderry, the terminus of the West River Railroad line. The bus will return to Newfane to the West River Railroad Museum where a bagged lunch will be served. Glenn Annis is an authority on the West River Railroad and will point out landmarks, historic buildings, structures and other features that still exist along the 36-mile route, as well the location of others that have disappeared over the years. Cost: $25.00 (Lunch included) Space is limited! (First come-First […]
Riverfest August 6, 2022 The town of Brattleboro exists within the Connecticut River watershed. The West River and Whetstone Brook feed into the Connecticut and, together, they have supported communities of people for centuries. As part of the Connecticut River Conservancy’s “Riverfest”, on Saturday, August 6 the Historical Society set up a tent and shared historical stories with the public. Ten years ago the space at the junction of Depot and Bridge streets, bordering the Connecticut River, was transformed into a small park. The park is a happy result of community efforts to refurbish and reimagine the railroad station area that have their origins going all the way back to the 1970’s. The Vernon Historians were also in attendance and we had a fun time together sharing stories of the Connecticut River Valley. Our Society had a tent featuring a media presentation of historical photos of the river. Images of Island Park, Fort Dummer, boating, […]
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 Massachusetts. There had been a series of attacks by the Abenaki and the French in this area and the Massachusetts colony built the fort to protect these settlers.Northampton and Northfield, Massachusetts were under constant threat of attack by an Indigenous leader known as Grey Lock and the French.The Abenaki viewed the English colonizers as invaders and fought in hopes of stopping the encroaching English advancements up the Connecticut River. When the fort was built it was immediately attacked by Indigenous people attempting to protect their land and way of life.Reports at the time recorded three or four English soldier deaths, […]
Gravestone epitaphs have led us on interesting journeys. At Prospect Hill Cemetery there is a stone that overlooks the Connecticut River. Carved on one side is the following; “The grave of Alanson D. Wood, who was killed instantly on this river by the explosion of the Steamboat Greenfield, May 18, 1840, age 30.”
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 the town’s attention in January 2020 by Brattleboro Area Middle School students. In 1887 the town erected a monument on the Common which stated 31 men serving Brattleboro had died in the Civil War while 385 had served…research conducted using vermontcivilwar.org, Vermont’s Revised Roster of Vermont Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion, Cabot’s Annals of Brattleboro, Fuller’s Men of Color, To Arms!, Burnham’s Brattleboro: Early History, and Civil War-era digital newspapers revealed more information. After reviewing the research conducted by BAMS students and historical society members, we believe a more accurate count would be ENLISTED 450 DIED IN SERVICE […]
On May 27, 2022 Richard Hamilton, a 1940 graduate of Brattleboro High School, spoke to an audience of more than 400 people on the front lawn of BUHS. He shared stories of growing up in West Brattleboro and attending public schools. This was part of a Memorial Day Remembrance that included students and staff from BAMS and BUHS, and members of the public. Here is the text of Mr. Hamilton’s talk: “Good Afternoon. I was born in Brattleboro in September, 1922. I grew up on the family farm on Hamilton Road in West Brattleboro. We had cows and grew corn and hay to feed them. We also had vegetable gardens and apple, pear and peach trees. I had one sister and three brothers. My sister and a brother were older than me and two brothers were younger. We lived in a multi-generational household. In the home were our family of seven. My father’s parents, one […]
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 led to the bridge collapse. “The effect of the warm sun on the super abundance of snow in the woods was beginning to be felt…Brooks swollen by the contents of other brooks fed by smaller tributaries had been pouring into the Connecticut River for days, and the accumulated volume reached flood proportions…The ice jam at East Putney broke away about 5 o’clock, snapping off trees on the river banks as though they were toothpicks in a giant’s hand. When the river here began filling…it was known that the East Putney jam had arrived…With the water higher than ever the thunderous […]