History - Brattleboro Historical Society

Indigenous People in the Connecticut River Valley

In 1985 archeologist Peter Thomas published research on Indigenous People who had been living in our area before Europeans arrived in the 1600’s. Thomas had been a participant in an archeological dig that took place near the Vernon Dam and, after much analysis, he published his findings. According to Thomas, the Indigenous People who lived here followed a seasonal pattern. In March, when salmon, shad and alewives began their runs up the Connecticut River, families gathered by the Vernon rapids and the confluence of the West and Connecticut Rivers for a month or so, while large amounts of fish were eaten and processed for later use. By late April and throughout May farming activities began. Corn fields along the river were prepared and seeds planted. Fishing continued throughout this period and hunting of migratory birds also occurred. By summer, small family-based communities were centered in settlements surrounded by the plantings of corn, beans and […]

The Best Musical Performance Ever Heard in Brattleboro (1898)

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.

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 arm, reading one of the posters announcing the meeting. Patiently he waded through it, then turned on his heel and wondered aloud, ‘What in the thunder’ll come next.’” In March of 1870 Brattleboro was less than a year removed from a devastating fire that destroyed the west side of Main Street and a flood that roared down the Whetstone Brook, killing two people and inflicting over $300,000 worth of damage. The young reporter went on to write that no one was able to tell the old farmer what might happen next, with women pushing for equal rights, but she offered that local women might see it […]

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 two hours of college credit. People from the community were also able to enroll in the local history class. The course was held in the evenings at the Powers House on Green Street, next to the elementary school. At the time, Powers House also served as the Superintendent’s office. A product of the course was a booklet of articles researched and written by the class attendees. The publication was called “Bridge To Yesteryear: Vermont Folklore Articles” and contained fifty pages of stories by twenty four authors. One of the articles was written by Ruth Atkinson, a local junior high science teacher. Here is her 1951 article, “Brattleboro Trees”. “In the beginning there […]

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 New England’s agricultural and factory jobs were moving west with the railroads and people were moving with them. There was no demand for new housing. In fact, many New England communities lost population after the war. Warren Wilkins moved to Brattleboro to start a new profession. With a partner, he opened a dry goods store where the River Garden is presently located. The business was called, “The New York Store” and it focused on dry goods such as cloth and ready-made clothing. Unfortunately for the Wilkins’, many people in Brattleboro still made their own clothes, or had a local seamstress make them, so going to a store and purchasing already […]

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 of growing up in Brattleboro. She was seventy two years old at the time, but she wrote about growing up in Brattleboro as if it were just the other day. Mary had moved away from town almost fifty years earlier but her memories were crisp and clear. She began by writing about the natural beauty of Brattleboro. When she was growing up she lived in the downtown area and the splendor of Mount Wantastiquet stayed with her through the years. Here’s what she wrote to the local paper: “We used to sit in the front room of the old house and watch for the moon, always for me […]

Mary Shiminski and the MacArthurs (1974)

As the MacArthur family song says, in the summer of 1974 someone painted “Mary Shiminsky I Love You!” on the railroad overpass off from Putney Road heading to Chesterfield. The graffiti on the Boston and Maine railroad bridge inspired this song, a book of poetry, a postcard and newspaper articles across the country wondering about Mary Shiminski and the declaration of love. It turns out 29 year old Mary Shiminski was from Long Island and had had a disagreement with her boyfriend. As a result of the fight she had come north to Putney, Vt. to stay with her parents for a few weeks. They owned a trailer in the woods near the Westminster/Putney line and summered there. Mary’s boyfriend, Bert Salva, followed in the tractor trailer truck he owned and attempted to contact her. Bert would park his truck in Putney and walk the three miles to the Shiminski’s trailer, where he’d call to […]

Mary Rogers, Vt. execution and “Fake News” (1905)

Wednesday, June 21, 1905 was a bustling day in Brattleboro. Rumors were flying that a convicted killer would arrive by train for a federal hearing to determine whether the murderer should be executed on Friday, or allowed to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. There had not been an execution in Vermont for thirteen years. Convicted criminals had been sentenced to death during those years, but the Vermont Legislature voted to commute their sentences. This case seemed to be different. For one thing, the convicted murderer was a young woman, Mary Rogers. She was originally from Hoosick Falls, New York and had married a twenty five year old man when she was fifteen. Four years later Mary left her husband and moved to Bennington. At nineteen, Mary separated from her husband and publicly dated many men. One of her boyfriends was Morris Knapp and she seemed to fall in love with him. Her husband had […]

Mary Palmer Tyler, Vt. resident 1796-1866, Trailblazer

Mary Palmer Tyler was a trailblazer. In 1801 she moved with her young family to a farm on Meeting House Hill. Royall Tyler, her husband, had just inherited $3,000 and they chose to invest the money in a 150-acre farm owned by Micah Townsend. Prior to the monetary windfall, the Tyler’s had been living in Guilford, Vermont. Royall Tyler was making his living as a lawyer. Five years earlier they had moved to the area from Massachusetts. This is how Mary Tyler described her 1796 arrival by carriage sleigh, “It was a glorious winter’s day, that of my first entrance into Vermont. About four o’clock in the afternoon we reached the banks of the Connecticut. There was no bridge then, except one formed by the operation of turning a cake of ice, as it was called. This was our bridge; it was so situated as to bring us over directly by old Fort Dummer.” In […]

Mary Howe and Florence Anderson 1880’s – 1950’s

For many years there was a tradition at Brattleboro High School which included the reading of student essays during commencement ceremonies. All twelfth graders were expected to research and write an essay as part of their senior program. Top essays were chosen by faculty and their authors read the essays to the assembled audience at graduation exercises. At the 1951 graduation ceremony Florence Anderson’s essay was the first featured reading. Florence enjoyed singing and researched a local hero of hers, internationally-renowned singer Mary Howe. Here is an excerpt from her essay… “The heading, ‘local girl who made good,’ could be attributed to the operatic soprano, Mary Howe, as she pursued her musical career on the concert stages of Europe just before the turn of the century. This local star was born in 1867. Her musical talent showed itself in her earliest childhood and had the advantage of careful training from the first. Her father and […]

Marion McCune Rice and World War I (1914-1919)

Marion McCune Rice grew up in Brattleboro and attended the town’s public schools. After graduating from Brattleboro High School in 1900, she attended and graduated from Smith College. She then went on to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to attend Nursing School. In the early 1900’s there weren’t too many professions open to women. Popular options for single women were school teacher, social worker or nurse. Marion enjoyed traveling and adventure. While still in her teens she had gone on a 3 month trip to California with her mother. Marion found she really enjoyed traveling and the nursing profession offered her the independence she appreciated. After graduating from nursing school she remained in the Philadelphia area and worked in a couple of hospitals, specializing as a surgery nurse. By 1914 Marion had already traveled to Europe on three occasions. She had created an independent life for herself and also kept in touch with friends from her college and […]

Lucy Terry Prince – Luce Bijah and justice (1724-1821)

This week in Brattleboro history we are going to tell you about Lucy Terry Prince, or Luce Bijah, as she called herself. She lived from 1724 to 1821. In a book called The Music of Black Americans it says Lucy Terry Prince was a significant contributor in the efforts to maintain a sense of Africa in early America. Her storytelling and singing kept alive the African traditions. She made her home a gathering place for slaves and freedmen; a place where they could listen to tales and songs of old Africa. Lucy was born in Africa. She was kidnapped, forced into slavery and shipped to Rhode Island. Around the age of four she was sold to Ebenezer Wells of Deerfield, Massachusetts and became his house slave. When she was in her early twenties, five people in Deerfield died during a raid by Abenaki Indians. Lucy became one of America’s first African American poets when she […]