The Brattleboro Historical Society Podcast

In 1912 soprano Mary Howe was the featured performer at the four day Brattleboro Pageant on Island Park. The Pageant was an historical review of Brattleboro's past. We thought this might be an appropriate topic for our 500th podcast of local history. These podcasts are an effort, on our part, to expand on our understandings of Brattleboro's past.

The first moving pictures to play in Brattleboro came to town in 1899. In 1921 the first major motion picture filmed in Vermont was shown in the Town Hall Auditorium. It starred Lillian Gish and was filmed north of here in the Connecticut River Valley. The movie was said to be "the greatest entertainment of its kind ever seen in Brattleboro.”

This week is about Jim Fisk...the man who caused an economic panic known as "Black Friday". He was quite a wheeler-dealer and had several ties to Brattleboro. 7th grade BAMS students tell his story and rap about his impact on the country.

Edward C. Crosby was part of the 2nd generation of Crosby's to have a positive influence on Brattleboro. He was a prominent businessman who balanced his self-interests with the needs of the community. Here's his story...

BAMS students rap and tell the story of local hero Clarina Irene Howard Nichols. She was a pragmatic, hands-on advocate for Women's Rights, the Abolition of Slavery, and the Temperance Movement. Throughout her life she campaigned for equal opportunity and the protection of the vulnerable. This is her story...

7th grade students created a rap about local hero Clarina Nichols with the help of artificial intelligence. This is their recording...

Jimmy Carter visited Brattleboro in January of 1976. He was one of fifteen candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. Here's the story...

Elm Corners is located at the intersection of Maple and Guilford Streets. This is the history of this section of Brattleboro which used to be the southeastern boundary of Centreville village. The story goes back to the 1750's...

In the 1980's a concerted community effort led to the creation of Wells Fountain Park in the area of town that used to be known as Toad Hill. This is the story...

Larkin Mead was a world-renowned sculptor with many pieces on display in museums across the country. Locally he is remembered for his Recording Angel, Ceres-the Goddess of Agriculture atop the Vt. Capitol Building, statues of Ethan Allen and Abraham Lincoln. Here's the rest of his story...

A pre-1835 silver spoon was recently donated to the historical society. It was made by local silversmith John Burnham. Here's the story of how the 200 year old spoon made its way to our collection...

This week we feature an interview with local 80 year old motorcyclist Joe Spano. Joe visited Brattleboro Area Middle School last week and shared his experiences with the local history class.

In late July, 1910, Brattleboro was in the middle of a railroad strike. The town was at a standstill and financial tensions filled the air. There were about 20 trains that stopped here on a daily basis. At the time, most industries in Brattleboro shipped their goods by rail, and passenger transport along the lines was also a preferred way to get from one town to another. Here's the story...

Gene Ferriter was the train depot gatekeeper for 57 years. He saw many changes during his time with the railroad. Here's a bit of his story...

Daylight Savings Time first came to the United States during World War I. This recording shares how Brattleboro dealt with the shift in time...

The creemee first arrived in Vt. in 1951. The first creemee stand in this area was in Dummerston, next to Dutton Pines State Park in 1952. Brattleboro's first stand was the Freeze King Creemee Drive In on Canal Street, built in 1953. In 1955 it became the Hillside Dairy Freeze. Here's the story...

Stephen R. Bradley, from Westminster, was one of Vermont's first US Senators. In fact, he was on the negotiation team that sealed the deal with New York and the United States, and brought Vermont into the Union. As Senator he put forth the bill which created the Flag Act of 1794. This law placed 15 stars and stripes on the US flag. He also proposed the 12th amendment to the Constitution, which mod...

Stephen R. Bradley was very influential in the negotiations between Vermont, New York and the U.S. government when Vermont requested to join the United States. This recording tells the story of Bradley's involvement in the judicial, military, and political aspects of the negotiations.

Stephen R. Bradley was instrumental in winning recognition of Vermont by the newly established United States of America. This is a story of his early experiences in Vermont.

This recording marks the tenth year of BAMS students' collaboration with the historical society in the production of these local history recordings. For a span of approximately 100 years the Estey Company built over 500,000 reed organs and 3,000 pipe organs. The Estey Organ Company is said to have been the largest, and longest lasting, reed organ company in the world. This recording focuses on fou...

Our artifact collection continues to generate stories from the past...Here are two tales researched and told by BHS President Lee Ha...a doctor's scale and an 1830's foot warmer used at church

Carol Farrington shares information about the life of Dr. Edward R. Lynch, founder of Melrose Hospital in West Brattleboro, which operated from 1907 until the Doctor's death in 1930...

In the next few weeks the Brattleboro Historical Society and Estey Organ Museum will offer many opportunities to explore the history of the Estey Organ Company AND experience various free performances featuring Estey reed organs. Here's the story..

Mary Rogers was likely a child of an enslaved family. She became a housekeeper and may have been the first woman of color in Brattleboro to vote for President in the 1920 election. Here's her story...

In 1944 pianist Mary Lou Williams did something that had never been done before. She headlined an integrated traveling musical revue that toured the country to advocate for a particular Presidential candidate. In the 1940’s most stage and concert performances were segregated. However, this multi-racial revue featured a mixture of musical styles. Woody Guthrie was one of the featured performers. He...