On this day in 1881: President James A. Garfield dies after being shot by an assassin at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington DC on July 2nd. His successor is his Vice President, Chester Arthur of Fairfield, VT , who would go on to fill the rest of his term.

VHS Program Coordinator Hannah Kirkpatrick recently stopped by the Weston Historical Society to check out their collection and programming!

Today is the day: Our new book Winters’ Time: A Secret Pledge, a Severed Head, and the Murder that Brought America’s Most Famous Lawyer to Vermont by Jeffrey L. Amestoy is now available! vermont-historical-society-museum.square.site/product/wint...

New arrival to the VHS bookstore: Hill Farms: Surviving Modern Times in Early Twentieth Century Vermont by Dona Brown! You can get a copy at the museum bookstore in Montpelier, or via our website here: vermont-historical-society-museum.square.site/product/hill...

VHS Director of Service and Outreach Eileen P. Corcoran and Program coordinator Hannah Kirkpatrick recently wrote about our work assisting a Vermont's small historical organizations in managing their active collections.

The Burlington Free Press profiles our new book, Winters' Time: www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/l...

Thanks to WCAX and Mark Johnson for profiling our new book "Winter’s Time: A Secret Pledge, a Severed Head, and the Murder that Brought America’s Most Famous Lawyer to Vermont" for the 802 News Podcast! www.wcax.com/2025/09/09/8...

Copies of our next book, Winters Time: A Secret Pledge, a Severed Head, and the Murder That Brought America's Most Famous Lawyer to Vermont by Jeffrey L. Amestoy m are now in! They’ll go on sale on September 16th, and if you preorder a copy before September 10th, you’ll get your preoder signed!

On this day in 1901, President William McKinley was shot in Buffalo, New York. His VP, Theodore Roosevelt, was in Vermont at the time on a tour of the state, and was attending a dinner put on by the Vermont Fish and Game League at the home of Vermont's Lt. Gov, Nelson Fisk in Isle La Motte.

Thanks to WCAX's Kendall Claar for covering our latest exhibit, "Illustrating History"! It's an in-depth look at how we've used commercial illustration to depict our state's history. Watch the segment here: www.wcax.com/video/2025/0...

Thanks to the Times Argus for highlighting our upcoming publication, Winters' Time by Jeffrey L. Amestoy! www.timesargus.com/news/local/t...

On the afternoon of August 28th, 1917, a team of horses worked to pull the roof of the George B. Milne mausoleum up the hill past Spaulding High School (now the home of the Vermont History Center!) in Barre.

Our service and outreach team visited the Vermont State Archives and Records Association (VSARA) last week to begin preparing for next year's Vermont History Day 2026!

The Philadelphia was one of the American ships sunk during the Battle of Valcour in 1776 and was later raised in 1935.

Barre was once home to the Granite City Bottling Works, which not only produced a range of soda waters like Birch Beer and Ginger Ale, but a number of other services to the community during the early 20th century.

Restock alert! We have copies of Jack Kelly’s Valcour: The 1776 Campaign That Saved The Cause of Liberty back in stock at the museum bookstore and online. Next year will be the 250th anniversary of the battle, which took place on October 11th, 1776.

Our next book is coming: Winters' Time: A Secret Pledge, a Severed Head, and the Murder That Brought America's Most Famous Lawyer to Vermont, written by former Vermont Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeffrey L. Amestoy.

We are very excited to announce our next publication: Winters’ Time: A Secret Pledge, a Severed Head, and the Murder That Brought America's Most Famous Lawyer to Vermont, written by Jeffrey L. Amestoy, former Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.

We are very excited to announce our next publication: Winters’ Time: A Secret Pledge, a Severed Head, and the Murder That Brought America's Most Famous Lawyer to Vermont, written by Jeffrey L. Amestoy, former Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.

The Vermont History Museum and Vermont History Center will be closed on Friday, August 15th in observance of The Battle of Bennington Day. The museum will reopen on Saturday August 16th, and the History Center will reopen on Tuesday, August 19th.

Registration is now open for history for homeschoolers at the Vermont History Museum! This year, we'll examine nine topics, ranging from early Vermont history to how museum preservation! We have in-person and virtual class options available. You can find details and register here:

124 years ago today: Old Home Week kicked off in Montpelier, and ran through August 17th in 1901. Here's an item made to commemorate the event: a button with a satin ribbon featuring an image of the State House.

Today is #NationalPurpleHeartDay, which commemorates the creation of one of the US's oldest honors, and the people who received it.

What types of work goes into preserving history? VHS Librarian Steve Picazio explaining the importance of acquiring, conserving, and sharing items in our vast collections. vermonthistory.org/vermont-hist...

The latest issue of our member magazine History Connections is headed out to VHS members! This issue is all about tourism and features articles about: 🎟️ VHS’s broadside collection 🛣️ A look at how the interstate and roads helped fuel VT’s tourism industry

This is a great example of history in action: someone realizes that they want to learn more about something and begins to investigate, digging through archives and special collections to piece together a much bigger picture that enrichens our understanding of the past.

We have two new arrivals at the VHS bookstore! - Turning the Soil: 250 Years of Vermont Agriculture by Roger Allbee - I Want to Talk: Growing Up in Lunenberg, Vermont, 1920-1940 by Sylvia Worthley and Sherry Horton

We were delighted to welcome a delegation of museum professionals from all over Africa to the Vermont History Museum earlier this week, coordinated by the Vermont Council on World Affairs!

Visitors to the Vermont History Center in Barre might notice a new addition to the grounds: a trio of boxes set atop cedar poles. The insignia on the front should give you an idea of what they might be for: bats!

What's the story behind Vermont's state symbols? Our own Amanda Gustin and Katie Grant were guests on @vermontpublic.org's Vermont Edition this week, where they talked about the stories behind the creatures, items, and other things that represent the state!

The Vermont Legislature named Robert Frost as the state's first Poet Laureate on this day in 1961. You can listen to an installment of the Green Mountain Chronicles about him here: vermonthistory.org/robert-frost...

We are pleased to announce that our latest exhibit, Illustrating History, is now on display at the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier! This exhibit will explore how Vermonters have examined our history through commercial illustrations. Read more about it here: vermonthistory.org/vermont-hist...

Artist Luigi Lucioni died on this day in Jun 22, 1988. He was born in October 1900 in Italy but grew up in New York. He studied etching and engraving at Cooper Union and painting at the National Academy of Design, and eventually began spending time in Vermont.

On this day in Vermont's history: abolitionist Frederick Douglass took part in the Great Convention, a series of anti-slavery speeches that took place across the country in 1843.

It's another hot day in Vermont, and it makes us wish that we were in this picture: taken in 1941 by Olof C. Johnson, it shows campers at a summer camp at Elfin Lake in Wallingford, enjoying the water.

In June, Vermont Historical Society staff and members of our Activating 21st Century Local History cohort were honored with the opportunity to speak about our work at the Maine Active Collections Forum! You can read more about it here:

It's been a hot couple of weeks here in Vermont, and it's a good time to highlight this item: a bathing suit from the 1920s!

[email protected] stopped by the Vermont History Center recently to help answer a question for their podcast Brave Little State: where did Vermont's flag come from? Listen to the episode here: www.vermontpublic.org/podcast/brav...

Congratulations are in order to one of our Vermont History Day students: Aitana Seville, a Green Mountain Union High School student who just earned the 2025 Frances Bremer History Prize! Here's the article from the Vermont Journal: vermontjournal.com/history/aita...

Today is the day! Our new exhibit, Illustrating History, is now on exhibit at the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier!

In 1825, Lafayette visited Montpelier for his grand tour. 200 years later, we learned a bit about him and his role in America’s history.

The man of the hour has arrived! 200 years ago, Lafayette visited Vermont as part of his grand tour of the United States. We’re pleased to host him once again for a recreation of his remarks to the city of Montpelier during his visit in 1825.

200 years ago today: Marquis de La Fayette visited Vermont as part of his Grand Tour of the United States in 1825.

The Vermont Historical Society will be closed on Friday, July 4th in observance of Independence Day. The Vermont History Museum will reopen for its regular hours on Saturday, July 5th, while the Vermont History Center will reopen on Tuesday, July 8th.

Thanks to @wcax.com for stopping by the Vermont History Museum earlier this week to talk about the 200th anniversary of Lafayette's visit to Vermont in 1825 and why it was such a momentous occasion for Vermonters. www.wcax.com/2025/06/27/l...

We had an outstanding time with our students at this year's National History Day in College Park, MD last week! We had 45 students participate this year, who brought their outstanding projects, presentations, and performances to compete against their fellow students from across the country!

The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on this day in 1775, 250 years ago today. Here's an item in our collection from that battle: a powder horn carried by John Bean of Williamstown. He took part in the "early wars," as well as at Bunker Hill. He's said to have later been a prisoner in Quebec.

Vermont Days is this weekend: Vermont State Parks and Vermont State Historic Sites will be open for free on June 14th and 15th: it'll be a great opportunity to visit some of these great places!

Our student finalists from Vermont History Day are competing in this year's National History Day competition in Maryland this week! Here are a couple of shots from the trip so far:

Thanks to WCAX for stopping by the Vermont History Museum to see our latest exhibit: a section of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, on loan from the National AIDS Memorial. It’ll be on display at the museum through August 2nd. www.wcax.com/2025/06/10/p...