Yesterday marked the birthday of William Wilberforce, who, in the waning years of the 18th century, successfully led what seemed to be an utterly quixotic campaign to end the British slave trade.
Vermont’s license plates have changed steadily since the first cars appeared on the state’s roads, moving from fragile porcelain tags to the sturdy green plates that feel like part of the landscape.
“The majority of people throughout history have been common people whose stories have not been highlighted,” researcher Angie Grove said.
A commemorative plaque was installed at a Sharon cemetery yesterday to recognize Boston Tea Party participant Anthony Morse, the Journal-Opinion reports.
A series of eerie disappearances led to the creation of the state police force and birthed a lasting cultural phenomenon.
The case for Champ: Sonar, sound, and our ancient sea
The interview came on the anniversary of the Battle of Bennington, fought Aug. 14, 1777.
This annual celebration honors the historic Battle of Bennington, fought on August 16, 1777. After a day of non-stop rain, the American forces lead by Gen. John Stark and Col. Seth Warner defeated the British and German troops desperately trying to capture much needed provisions from the colonial arsenal in Bennington.
The Old Stone House Museum and Historic Village will celebrate the 190th anniversary of its granite dormitory building with a daylong event on Sunday, Aug. 16, featuring a granite cutting demonstration, live music, heritage crafts and more.
During the early morning hours of July 5, a Rhode Island man spotted a large bipedal creature cross the street and enter the woods in nearby Connecticut, reports Patch and other media outlets, according to today’s Journal-Opinion.
RIP Nat Frothingham
The ideas in that parchment didn’t stay contained to the thirteen colonies — and Vermont’s settlers, led by figures like Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, took the Declaration’s logic and ran further with it than Congress ever intended.
Whale researchers on the St. Lawrence River in Canada spotted something unusual: hundreds of barrels floating downstream.
The pitch is appealing: more democracy, more equality, none of the gulags or secret police. But socialists themselves have been making that exact claim for more than a century—about societies we now recognize as textbook authoritarian disasters.
The July 25 event, sponsored by the Vermont Society Sons of the American Revolution, included visits to the Ethan Allen Tower, the Ethan Allen Homestead, and Allen’s burial monument in Greenmount Cemetery.
The recent story about a church returning a camp to the Abenaki lands directly on top of one of the more bitter and unresolved disputes in contemporary Native American politics: whether the people receiving that land — Vermont’s four state-recognized Abenaki tribes — are who they say they are
The celebration, organized by the Fair Haven Historical Society, will begin at 11 AM in the town park with remarks from state leaders and journalists about the importance of First Amendment rights. Scheduled speakers include Gov. Phil Scott, Senate Minority Leader Brian Collamore, House Minority Leader William Canfield, and Vermont Press Association Executive Director Michael Donoghue.
The speaker series, titled “Those Who Came Before: 250 Years of Vermont History,” will explore the quest for liberty, equality, justice, and acceptance in Vermont. Speakers will use archival records, including those held by VSARA, to tell the stories of individuals, communities, and our nation.
Over the weekend, reenactors took to a southern Vermont hillside and put on an educational show
Not all historic buildings will be able to be preserved
On July 8, 1777, delegates meeting at Elijah West’s tavern in Windsor adopted the first Constitution of the Free and Independent State of Vermont, nearly five months after declaring independence. The document established the framework for governing what became the Vermont Republic, an independent nation that existed for 14 years before joining the United States in 1791 as the 14th state.
The steel towers still stand, a reminder of the decades when Vermonters climbed into the clouds each morning, scanning the tree line for smoke.
We were a newborn republic, barely six months removed from declaring itself independent, not only from Great Britain, but also from New York’s claim over the New Hampshire Grants.
On the left of the Federal line on the ridge, Brig. Gen. George Jerrison Stannard – the first Vermonter to enlist to fight in the Civil War – and three weary regiments of his inexperienced 2nd Vermont Brigade anxiously awaited the Confederate assault.
How should we think about the American Revolution on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence? The American revolutionaries can help us answer this question.
A reading of the Declaration of Independence by Vermont Supreme Court Justices in conjunction with historical context is scheduled for Wednesday, July 1 at 1:00 pm in the Vermont Supreme Court courtroom.
The rugged Christian faith of the heroic founders was vitally interwoven with their patriotism and is inextricably linked by a sacred thread of purpose to the Great Awakening.
At 5 AM on June 22, state police – acting on child abuse reports from state officials – raided the church community in Island Pond and removed children. Judge Frank Mahady ordered the children released, citing a lack of evidence.
Some reading this might be familiar with stories which may have, over time, taken on an almost mythical quality regarding George Washington’s apparently indestructible nature. But for those who aren’t, we will look at a few of these instances which, when seen amidst the whole tapestry of divine orchestration in the weaving together of our republic, must certainly be regarded as one of the most spectacular threads.
Never seen alive after leaving Barre.
The “Vibrant Lives: Discovering Our Roots of Black Vermont” photography exhibit will be on display at the public library this summer.
How the Hurricane of 1938 devastated Vermont’s forests — and how the government tried to save them. When catastrophe strikes, what does it take to bring things back from the brink?
Ted Kohn, one of the country’s leading Theodore Roosevelt scholars, appears throughout the History Channel’s “Theodore Roosevelt” — newly added to Netflix ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
On June 17 of 1891, the last stone was placed in the building of the Fairbanks Museum of Natural History in St. Johnsbury.
What a dissident Quaker, the Salem Witch Trials, and today’s disinformation debate have in common
Albert Sponheimer, of East Rygate, was there that day, and was awarded the Silver Star for his heroic work as a medic…. He saved countless lives while exposing himself to heavy enemy fire on the shores of Omaha Beach.
Vermonters gather at the Ann Story cabin in Salisbury to celebrate the Revolutionary War heroine.
How the Hermit Thrush became Vermont’s official bird, June 1, 1941
Ann Story was a strong young widow and a mother of five children who earned the honorific “mother of the Green Mountain Boys.”
Long before the U.S.-Mexico border dominated American conversations about immigration enforcement, a cold lake in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom had already been the site of one of the country’s longest-running and least-told human smuggling histories.
Gaysville and the Great Flood of 1927
These awards are handed out annually by the society to recognize the exceptional work done by individuals and community heritage organizations across the state to collect, preserve, and share Vermont’s rich history, with particular emphasis upon innovation.
Former Rep. Louvenia Dorsey Bright served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1989 to 1994, representing South Burlington.
In 1950, President Harry Truman launched a campaign to sell US bonds to fund the rebuilding of our military after WWII. As part of the Treasury Department initiative tied to the bond drives, more than fifty Liberty Bell replicas were cast in France and distributed across the country – one for each state and territory.
The 1935 East Middlebury mystery
On 10 April 1963 the USS Thresher (SSN 593) was lost with all hands; two of those individuals were Vermont Submariners, James P. Ritchie, 22 from Burlington, VT and Edward A. Johnson, 34 from Hardwick, VT.
While Vermont is now well-known for its breweries, the state has a complicated history when it comes to alcohol. It boasted one of the longest prohibitionary periods, even before the arrival of Prohibition in 1919, and out of that environment came a Burlington company that became well known for its drinks throughout Vermont and New England: M. & F.C. Dorn Company.
When Thomas Jefferson wrote, “they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness,” the definition of those words mattered. All 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence had to understand exactly what the document claimed, and agree with it, before they would sign their Lives, Fortunes, and sacred Honor to defend its cause.
This spring, VHS collections staff are focusing intensely on the items we’ve selected for the “50 for 250” project. One of these objects is a cane that was present at the famous St. Alban’s Raid, the northernmost Confederate action in the Civil War.
Considering Thomas Jefferson was an experienced lawyer, the Declaration of Independence reads more like poetry than a legal document. In what many believe is the greatest breakup letter of all time, Jefferson clearly explained, to the entire world, that the problem was not the colonists in America, the problem was the king.
The Vermont African American Heritage Trail was created by the Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing. Explore museums, cultural sites, exhibits, films, and tours that illuminate African American history in Vermont.
Most believe the unusual name is derived from “tickeneket,” the Algonquin word for “place of little beavers.”
Later a distinguished Vermont attorney, in 1946 Nate Boone rode in the back of the bus to a segregrated training area for black Marine boots: Montford Point.
The Town of Manchester, Vermont, Municipal leaders were bewildered by what they read on the front page of the Wall Street Journal’s July 29, 1976, edition. It was unwelcome news. They were still contemplating the fate of the 412-acre, 24-room Georgian Revival ancestral home of Robert Todd Lincoln (1843-1926). A year had passed since Abraham Lincoln’s great-granddaughter, Mary (Peg) Lincoln Beckwith’s Hildene home became vacant after an illness took her life at a Rutland hospital.
A new book from J. Kevin Graffagnino, coming in February
Travelling exhibit utilizes unique “peer-education” to teach the lessons of the Holocaust
Among its dense forests and rocky ledges, local folklore speaks of a terrifying cryptid known as “The Black Beast of Snake Mountain,” which allegedly terrorized the region during the 1920s and 1930s.
As reported by CHNI and other news outlets, a drone video capturing a large, dark shape moving beneath a boat on Lake Champlain has landed filmmakers Richard Rossi and Kelly Tabor on an episode of William Shatner’s The UnXplained.
Vermont’s chilling record of winter women in white
Many non-biblical historians and objective, skeptical scholars insist that he was a historical figure.
Safeguarding liberties in a new nation
When the Civil War erupted, Willie’s father answered the call to defend his adopted country, enlisting in the 3rd Vermont Infantry in June 1861. The boy, desperate not to be separated from his father, begged to accompany him to war.
December 1, 1946, an 18-year-old college student named Paula Welden vanished while taking a hike on the Long Trail near Glastenbury Mountain. Welden had informed her roommate that she intended to go for a walk, but she never returned. The subsequent search involved hundreds of volunteers, including military personnel, but no concrete evidence was discovered.
Branded “SS” (stirrer of sedition) on his forehead, William Brewster’s ears were cut off and he was put in prison “until a convenient time.”
Three retired U.S. Marines now wearing VSP green honor the 250th birthday of the Corps today.
“The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down….”
So, Jimmy Carter did indeed set foot in the Green Mountains in 1976, but Republican incumbent Gerald Ford won Vermont with 54.34% of the vote. Carter garnered the remaining 43.14%.
While Edson’s military exploits drew national attention, his commitment to Vermont shaped the state far beyond his battlefield record.
A landscape of inspiration and dread
The school’s positive impact on the lives of their students and experiences in the larger Deaf community are important stories that will now be preserved for future generations of scholars – and members of the Deaf community wanting to learn more about their history.
“Tom was wild about Batman,” recalled former Herald colleague Bob Bennett of Shelburne. “Every day, when other reporters came to the office wearing ties, Tom wore a sweater with a Batman image on it — one his wife had knitted for him.”
From Emily’s Bridge in Stowe, where you might see an ethereal woman with vengeance in the middle of the night – to haunted castles that some claim demons linger, this state is mighty haunted.
It is called a castle, but it never was. Wealth built it, and filled it with the finest that the Old and New Worlds had to offer, but even the Robins’ fortune couldn’t satisfy “Doctor” Johnson’s unbridled ambitions.
n 1955, the Ticonderoga made its remarkable overland journey from Lake Champlain to Shelburne Museum, where it has remained “docked” in its grassy basin ever since. Today, the 220-foot landmark remains one of the most iconic and beloved structures on the museum’s campus.
Designated Vermont’s state terrestrial fossil in 2014, the mammoth continues to inspire research into the region’s Ice Age past.
On September 14, 1923, the Champlain Valley Fair finished its first season in its current location. Some may say it was never bigger than when in 2008 Sir Elton John graced its grandstand.
As America itself became the root cause of the attack on so many campuses, the symbol that soothed the heart of many after the bombings, the American flag, became a source of endless hate.
Vermonters have always been an innovative breed, and yet most of the Green Mountain State’s iconic manufacturers built their companies elsewhere. Henry Wells, co-founder of both American Express and Wells Fargo, left Thetford for New York, as did Elisha Graves Otis of Halifax, founder of Otis Elevator. John Deere left Rutland for Moline, Illinois. One Vermonter, however, managed to achieve iconic status without leaving his hometown of Manchester.
The seeds of Okemo were planted during the Great Depression, when State Forester Perry Merrill—often called the “father of Vermont skiing”—pushed to create recreational forests.
Dan Cohen remembers celebrating with an unlikely Vermont governor-to-be in 1972.
Springfield and Windsor, Vermont were considered key targets.
Vermont probably wouldn’t exist today if not for the Battle of Bennington.
Don Keelan will serve as master of ceremonies and Bill Budde, curator of the Russell Vermontiana Collection, will speak on the topic of Remember Baker’s place in history.
Close encounter over Lake Champlain
“Special interest groups certainly don’t have anything to do with the anniversary of the Revolutionary War battles fought by Vermont forefathers,” the petition claims.
Bishop Robert Joyce in the 1970s enjoyed a weekly “aperitif” at UVM fraternity house
The Lafayette Trail is an organization (Sponsored by the The William G. Pomeroy Foundation) that commemorates Lafayette’s grand tour. 2024 marked the 200th anniversary of his visit, and over the course of his return, he stopped by a number of locations in Vermont.
The forgotten potential fourteenth colony and its relation to the Fourteenth Star
For the Vermont place called Satans Kingdom, the devil lays only in the details.
The July 9, 1888 incorporation of Congregation Benai Israel in Poultney
The British and Hessian troops met unexpectedly stiff resistance from the Green Mountain Boys.
“Sylvia Drake and Charity Bryant lived together in Weybridge from 1807 until Charity’s death in 1851 as one of the most well-documented same-sex couples in early America,” according to a Middlebury College website.
Former Burlington school superintendent was one of Iran’s U.S. hostages in 1979
The real history of U.S. Immigration Enforcement
June 17 is the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!
There have been so many more “firsts” during my lifetime, and undoubtedly there will be many more to come. Will the Town of Arlington ever develop a wastewater system that can replace the failing septic systems that now exist? What a “first” this would be.
Dr. Oscar S. Peterson Jr. believed that nuclear radiation played an important role in the future, in its capacity to extend the lives of his patients, as well as its ability to cause irreparable harm. His work specializing in radiation therapy at the University of Vermont led to an invitation to serve as Vermont’s Radiological Consultant to the Civil Defense Division of the Vermont Department of Public Safety.
Being one of the earliest forms of taxation, it is not surprising that tariffs produced one of the earliest forms of tax evasion: smuggling.
How Russia weaponized America’s hacking tools to burn down the internet, and how Vermont lays vulnerable
Someone’s grandparents always seem to remember one, and sometimes you can still find the scruffs and scrapes of shoes and boots on the floors. But where’d those hoedowns go? What were they like? And what did they do for small, rural communities?
