Events - Brattleboro Historical Society

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 policy to build a new bridge than to attempt to repair the old one. The damage to the bridge came through the extremely large quantity of ice in the river. The ice went out with a tremendous crash and it was forced so high in the air that it tore away the braces on both sides of the center pier of the bridge and also at the pier on the Vermont shore. Mr. Adams, who occupies barns on the island, moved his horses and wagons to the village and the people on the island were obliged to leave for safety. […]

Breweries & Prohibition

C2H5OH: BANNED!
Prohibition came to New England much earlier than it did to much of the rest of the country. In 1851 Maine passed a law banning the sale of alcoholic beverages. By 1855 all New England states had adopted a version of the Maine law, including Vermont.

John & Mary Carnahan Honored at Vermont Statehouse

On Wednesday, January 19, 2022, on the steps of the Vermont Capitol, John & Mary Carnahan were recognized by the Vermont Senate & House of Representatives for their many civic contributions to the Brattleboro community. Watch a video of the presentation at: https://youtu.be/ABvRSpyAxVY?si=hhblf3kdtsd326TD

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. By 1874 the largest chicken farm in the area had established itself on the island with over 2000 hens and chickens. In the 1880’s Brattleboro and Hinsdale joined together, bought the toll bridge company and made the bridge connection between the two towns free and open to the public. 1800s In the late 1800’s a brewery and saloon existed on the island and the island developed a sketchy reputation. In the early 1900’s Brattleboro and Hinsdale got into a disagreement about the brewery as Brattleboro had become a dry town, while Hinsdale was a licensed town that allowed the brewery […]

Brattleboro’s Beginnings

ORIGINS: BRATTLEBORO’S BEGINNINGS Abenaki & Fort Dummer Prior to the 1700’s, Vermont was home to the Abenaki. Fort Dummer was built as the first English settlement in Vermont in 1724. The view of the Connecticut River and Mount Wantastiquet from the former site of Fort Dummer THE FORT Lt. Governor William Dummer of the Massachusetts Bay Colony built Fort Dummer as protection against the Abenaki. The wooden, walled fort was the northern outpost of settlers along the Connecticut River and defended against native and French attacks. In 1728 it became a trading post. It was used until 1750 by troops as a fort when skirmishes broke out. The fort was located just south of Brattleboro in a place now submerged by the Connecticut River. It was located along the river for ease of transportation and because of the ability to watch who was going up and down the river in a strategic fashion. CHARLES C. […]

The Brattleboro Historical Society Annual Meeting 2021

Page 1 Carol Farrington, Sec Brattleboro Historical Society – 2020 Annual Meeting November 15, 2020 – Virtual meeting via ZOOM The annual meeting was held via ZOOM as a result of the Covid Pandemic which has been curtailing most in-person activities. Call to order: 2:00 p. m. The annual meeting of the membership was called to order at 2:00 p.m. by board acting president Joe Rivers, with many of the board members present. Minutes of the November 17, 2019 Annual meeting were read. A motion to approve was made and seconded. Motion approved by voice vote. Financial report for the previous 10 months was available for review. Motion made and seconded to accepted as written. Election of Trustees: Those trustees who were up for re-election had accepted term extension. Motion to accept them was passed by voice vote. The meeting adjourned at 2:06 p.m. “Our guest speaker was Jenna Carroll, the Director of Education at […]

Deadly Flu Pandemic Hit Brattleboro in 1918

The first Brattleboro death from the flu epidemic occurred on September 30, 1918. The victim was a 36-year-old Fort Dummer Cotton Mill worker named Isidor Bellair. He was a French Canadian immigrant who had moved his family to Brattleboro two years earlier in order to find work at the mill. He was survived by his wife and six small children, the youngest being only 5 months old.

Brattleboro: The Defining Decades 1870-1920 Exhibit

By The Brattleboro Historical Society, Special to the Reformer Feb 15, 2019 In 1870 Brattleboro was in a lot of trouble. In the previous year two disasters had devastated much of the town. A flood had come ripping down the Whetstone Valley and destroyed many mills and businesses along the brook. The deluge had washed away the Main Street Bridge and before the damages could be repaired a fire burned the west side of the Main Street commercial district to the ground. All the buildings and businesses between Elliot and High streets were gone. Photo provided by The Brattleboro Historical SocietyTrolley tracks, the Brooks House and Town Hall (left) are visible. For eight months community leaders traveled to New England’s financial centers in hopes of finding companies or institutions that would be willing to invest in the rebuilding of our downtown and industries. There were no takers. Vermont’s economy was suffering from a post-Civil War […]

The Valley Fair

The Valley Fair in Brattleboro began in 1886. It was held for one day in the 2nd week of October and had over 5000 attendees. Farmers exhibited cattle, horses, poultry, sheep, pigs, dogs, fruits and vegetables, and many ribbons were awarded. It was an agricultural fair and the local organizers prided themselves on keeping the event alcohol-free, family friendly and without the Midway or carnival-like attractions that others incorporated into their events.

Hinsdale Bridge

The Hinsdale Bridge Collapse 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. March 28, 1920 “The effect of the warm sun on the superabundance 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 […]

‘There’s A Bigger Story’: Recently Rediscovered Petroglyphs Bring Indigenous Narrative To Surface

Bigger Story: Recently Rediscovered Petroglyphs Bring Indigenous Narrative To Surface AT THE RETREAT MEADOWS – Written in the land This year brings the first official observation of Indigenous People’s Day in Vermont. It’s also a time to reflect on what this part of the world was like before any Europeans set foot here, and on a submerged river bank in Brattleboro, ancient petroglyphs offer a clue. Petroglyphs are images carved into natural stone. They’re only known to exist in two places in Vermont: one on the shore of the Connecticut River in Bellows Falls, the other in Brattleboro, where the West River and Connecticut meet… Read the rest at VPR: https://www.vpr.org/post/theres-bigger-story-recently-rediscovered-petroglyphs-bring-indigenous-narrative-surface#stream/0

Words on the Water: Stories of Wantastegok, the West River and Abenaki Presence

Words on the Water: Stories of Wantastegok, the West River and Abenaki Presence Friday, August 16, 2019 at 6:00 pm The Marina Restaurant, 28 Spring Tree Road, Brattleboro, VT 05301 Since construction of the Vernon Dam flooded the Retreat Meadows 110 years ago, Abenaki petroglyphs—ancient images carved in stone—have rested submerged, unseen evidence of the significant Native presence all around us. A special installment of the monthly Brattleboro Words Project’s free Roundtable Discussion series will be held on the waters of the West River/Connecticut River confluence to explore this presence and celebrate ongoing Vermont Land Trust conservation efforts adjacent to the site at The Marina Restaurant on Friday, August 16 at 6:00 PM for “Words on the Water: Stories of Wantastegok, the West River and Abenaki Presence.” Archaeologist and diver Annette Spaulding—whose 25-year search led to finding the petroglyphs, Rich Holschuh – member of the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs, and anthropologist and Indigenous […]