THE BRATTLEBORO RETREAT

The Brattleboro Retreat

The Brattleboro Retreat in 1844. Courtesy of the Brattleboro Historical Society.

The Brattleboro Retreat in 1844. Courtesy of the Brattleboro Historical Society.[/caption]

Go north on Main Street through downtown Brattleboro, past the library and bubbling Wells Fountain, and you’ll crest the hill onto a public park. Look through the trees and you’ll see flickers of an elegant clock tower. This clock tower watches over college-like campus of the Brattleboro Retreat, a pioneering mental health hospital that has been a cornerstone in Brattleboro since 1836. The Retreat and it’s grounds encompass more than 1000 acres along the West River, from its stately campus and adjacent farm to a networks public trails and even a haunted tower.

Brattleboro Students on the Retreat