The Brattleboro Historical Society Podcast

Madame Sherri moved to Chesterfield, NH in the late 1920's. There are many stories about what happened at her property on Gulf Road. You probably haven't heard this one from someone who shared the property with her from 1929 to 1940...

The Annals of Brattleboro is a two volume history of town that ranges from the 1600's to the end of the 1800's. Mary R. Cabot compiled and edited the 1100 page history. It was published 100 years ago. The first volume was printed during the end of 1921 and the second volume came out in the beginning of 1922. This is the story...

This week marks the 70th anniversary of the opening of the high school on Fairground Road. We interviewed Barbara Rau, longtime administrative secretary at BUHS, and share the story of the old school bell from the wooden high school on Main Street...

From 1861 to 1865 the fairground at the southern edge of Brattleboro served as a military camp and hospital. Over 1/3rd of all Vermonters who served in the Civil War passed through this military complex. Brattleboro's Governor Holbrook was very influential in establishing these entities here...

F.W. Woolworth came to Brattleboro in 1916. The company moved in the 1950's to northern Main Street and in 1972 there was a massive fire that destroyed the store. This podcast tells the story of Woolworth's in Brattleboro...

This week’s focus is on some of Brattleboro’s street names. Many streets were named after prominent Brattleboro citizens. Some names were changed to reflect changes in town, and sometimes people tried to change street names but were unsuccessful. A 1932 Reformer article on this topic was the catalyst for much of our research. The origin of Allerton Avenue was one of the more surprising stories...

In 1896 a drinking trough was constructed and dedicated on Ames Hill to the memory of Barna Clark, a well known businessman in town. This is one of two public drinking troughs for horses and people that still exists in Brattleboro. The other is the Wells Fountain on Main Street. The story behind the Clark Drinking Trough is shared in this podcast...

The Battle of Bull Run occurred 160 years ago and was the first major conflict of the Civil War. Over 30,000 soldiers from the North and the South participated in the battle. 85 men from the Brattleboro area comprised Company C of the 2nd Vermont Regiment. They were there. Here is the story...

In 1889 a “remarkably strong and substantial” suspension bridge was built across the Connecticut River to connect Brattleboro with Chesterfield, NH. Here's the story...

From 1903 to 1910 Croll built homes on Oak Grove, Highland, Pine, and Pellet Streets. He also built tenements in this area. In 1907 Croll also remodeled the Melrose Hotel in West Brattleboro. It was converted into the Lynch Hospital. Island Park was also one of his building projects. The Croll’s moved to Brattleboro during the “building boom” of the early 1900’s and had a significant impact on the...

Levi Redfield enlisted to fight the French during the French and Indian War. Instead, he ended up on a ship sailing to Havana, Cuba to fight the Spanish. His experiences made him disillusioned with the British Empire and led him to join the Sons of Liberty in 1775. Here's his story...

With the exception of the Civil War era the Vietnam War era was the most divisive period in American history. Vietnam divided the country between doves and hawks, hippies and rednecks, conservatives and liberals. Here are the stories of some of the local people on both sides of the issue...

The Vietnam War was part of one of the most contentious periods in U.S. history. In 1988 a forum was held to allow participants in the conflict to share their experiences of the war years. Young people heard stories from those who were there. Here's the story...

Buford Posey spent many summers here in Windham County. He was from Mississippi and, in the 1960's, became heavily involved in uncovering the murders of three Civil Rights volunteers. Here's his story....

For 5 seasons the Brattleboro Union High School Tennis Teams of 1970-1974 put together an unprecedented 64-0 winning streak in regular season play. They also captured the 1973 Vermont State Championship. Here’s the story…

A young man from Canada met a young woman from Ireland and they married. Soon they settled in Brattleboro and raised a family of eight children. image of Hattie Brasor (Stella Brazzi). Here's the story...

People have used the Connecticut River for many things; food, transportation, trade, leisure, swimming, waste disposal, power...this is the story of the changing uses of our eastern boundary

This week we remember the silver maple tree at the Beal House. It has witnessed the passage of a great deal of time in West Brattleboro.

This week we share the history of two military monuments on the Common and remember Dorr Sprague, who gave his life during World War II

Brattleboro-born Richard Morris Hunt designed the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty. He was architect to the rich and famous and worked on many significant projects in the US, including the World's Fair in Chicago. This is a story about the Statue, the pedestal and the architect.

Laundry, Chinese Exclusion Act, Female Businesses, Technology, Immigration...this story has it all! The first commercial laundries emerged in the 1840's with Steam Laundries appearing in the 1870's...the Custom Laundry (female-owned) began in 1887 and operated until 2010

Between the 1830's and the 1890's a majority of New Englanders went from farming and raising their own food to living in the city, earning a wage, and buying their food. In Brattleboro there were attempts to provide an anecdote to the impersonal mechanization of society. This is the story...

In the 1800's William Conant made over 1000 violins while living in Brattleboro. He selected the wood for these violins from local trees. Here is his story...

Benjamin Wheaton was the 1st African American to own property in Brattleboro. He purchased land and built a home and business in the West Village in 1786. This story shares some of the events happening in the early days of Brattleboro's history...

In 1777 the Vermont Constitution banned some forms of bondage. In the historical society collection are indentured servant contracts that are examples of how some forms of bondage continued into the 1890's...almost 30 years AFTER the 13th amendment to the US Constitution banned slavery and indentured servitude. Here's the story...