Exhibits
PeopleAnnabelle Pike and the Brooks Library (1900’s)
It was in 1882 the Brattleboro Public Library opened on Main Street. The library was located in a room in the Town Hall and was open three days a week for 8 hours a day. A large selection of books, and the knowledge found in their pages, was now available to just...
Abby Estey Fuller and the Civil War Years (1842-1865)
Abby Estey was born in 1842, the first child of Jacob and Desdemona Estey. Jacob Estey was the founder of the Estey Organ Company. Miss Estey attended Brattleboro schools, including the Glenwood Seminary in West Brattleboro. The Estey’s lived on the east side of...
William French and the Westminster Massacre
William French lived on Old Ferry Road. He was born in 1753 and died in 1775, 8 days shy of his 22nd birthday. His early death arrived in a hail of gunfire at the Westminster courthouse. His body was struck by five bullets fired by his neighbors. How does a community...
Thomas Akeley (Revolutionary War)
Akley (Akeley) is a name that has been part of Brattleboro and Guilford since before the Revolutionary War. According to historical records, Francis Akeley Jr. moved to Guilford from the Boston area before the war began. He had been an indentured servant to the...
Stephen Greenleaf and the Revolution
In April, 1772, Stephen Greenleaf was appointed Justice of the Peace for Cumberland County in the Province of New York. He had recently moved from Boston with his family and purchased 800 acres of land and a saw mill from Samuel Wells. The 800 acres would become the...
Stephen Bradley comes to Vermont 1779
If you are interested in early Vermont history then you should become acquainted with Stephen R. Bradley. He moved to Westminster, Vermont in 1779 and quickly became an important figure in the economic and political establishment of the state. He was born in...
Stephen Bradley and Vermont Statehood 1784-1791
In 1784 the southeastern corner of Vermont was in great turmoil. Two hundred and forty years ago, residents loyal to New York were in revolt against the Vermont government. At the time, the Attorney General of Vermont was Stephen R. Bradley. On January 10th he issued...
Samuel Wells and British Spies in the Revolution
This week we tell the story of an early local Brattleborough resident who was described by the United States Congress as a “perfidious man”. In 1730 Samuel Wells was born in Deerfield, Massachusetts. That’s about 25 miles south of here. He was a tavern keeper in...
Samuel Gale (1775)
This week in Brattleboro History the topic will be freedom of the press versus the needs of government. In 1776 British born Samuel Gale was living under house arrest in New York City. He had been held in jail in Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York for a...
Gardiner Chandler and the Birth of Vermont.
On March 4, 1791 Vermont officially became the 14th state. How did that happen? There were a few steps involved before Vermont could join the United States. First, New York laid claim to Vermont and opposed Vermont’s petition to join the union. Westminster’s Stephen...
John & Mary Carnahan
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. MembershipJoin UsBrattleboro Historical...
Wesselhoeft Water Cure
Dr. WesselhoeftIn 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...
Madame Sherri
Across the river from north Brattleboro, in West Chesterfield, New Hampshire, a trail winds through the Madame Sherri Forest to a set of ghostly stone stairs—the ruins of Madame Sherri’s castle, an estate whose former glory was lost to fire in 1962.
H.P. Lovecraft
HP LOVECRAFT & ROUND MOUNTAINH.P. Lovecraft & Round Mountain: West BrattleboroHoward Philips Lovecraft (1890 - 1937), was an American writer who achieved posthumous fame through his influential works of horror fiction. He was virtually unknown and published...
Clarina Howard Nichols
Clarina Howard Nichols - Townsend and BrattleboroClarina Howard Nichols (1810 - 1885) was an advocate for human rights. Born in Townsend, VT she went on to become the publisher of the Windham County Democrat newspaper in Brattleboro, where she expanded coverage to...
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