Brattleboro Historical Society

Call Directions Website

Brattleboro Historical Society A local organization interested in researching, preserving and sharing the history of the area.

Brattleboro Historical Society was founded in 1982 as a non-profit organization by a group of local historians and civic leaders interested in Brattleboro’s past. The Society’s mission is to collect and preserve historical artifacts, documents, photographs, and data of persons, places, and events significant to Brattleboro from its earliest days to the present, and to disseminate Brattleboro’s history through research, exhibits, and interpretation of the collection for the education and enjoyment of the community. Over the years, the Society has acquired approximately 50 organs manufactured by the Estey Organ Company. Information about the company and the individuals who built the industry is available at the Society. The Society has bound volumes of local newspapers dating from 1833 to 1981 including the Daily Evening Times, the semi-weekly Eagle, the Vermont Phoenix, the Windham County Reformer, and the Brattleboro Reformer. The Society possesses an outstanding collection of over 4,000 photographs, some dating back to the mid-19th century and the early days of photography. These images capture valuable historical moments and speak to us in a manner more powerful than words alone can convey. In addition to encapsulating the photos in protective mylar sleeves, the Society has embarked on a program of digital imaging the collection for storage in the computer, thereby providing efficient and safe access to photos without disturbing the original prints.

Sixty years ago the National Historic Preservation Act was passed by Congress. It is now under attack. On November 9th...
10/27/2026

Sixty years ago the National Historic Preservation Act was passed by Congress. It is now under attack. On November 9th the United States Senate is scheduled to vote on a proposal that will gut a section of the law that guarantees a review of archeological sites, historic places, sacred sites, and rural landscapes BEFORE the federal government builds, funds, or permits a project.
This law was passed in 1966 because the creation of the federal interstate system and the push for federal urban renewal projects destroyed many historic places and archeological sites across the country.
The National Historic Preservation Act causes developers to pause and check whether a project might impact an archaeological site, historic building, sacred place, or community landmarks. It causes developers to look at what's actually there before changing it forever. People who may be impacted are given an opportunity to speak about the impact.
The National Historic Preservation Act does not give anyone a veto. Instead, its centered on consultation. Before bulldozers arrive, the federal agency has to sit down with the people affected and consider the options. Can the project be slightly shifted to avoid a significant archaeological site? If not, can the archaeological site be documented before it is destroyed?
Across the country, over 120,000 projects go through this review every year, and 97% experience no delay. This law applies only to projects in which the federal government is providing financial assistance or permits.
In early October, a group of senators introduced the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act and have fast-tracked it for a vote on November 9. Buried inside this 417 page bill is a rewrite of the section of the National Historic Preservation Act that would gut the law. It would end public input and end archaeological and historic building surveys. The bill effectively ends archaeology's role in the federal process and removes an important check on federal power.
The Vermont Archaeological Society is asking people to contact Congressional Representatives and request them to please vote "no" on this bill.
Here in the Brattleboro area numerous historic buildings were bulldozed before the National Historic Preservation Act was passed. The Vernon Dam flooded parts of more than 150 farms when it was built in the early 1900's. Indigenous archaeological sites were lost forever and the Fort Dummer site has been under water ever since.

Image of Brattleboro's train stop in 1894...from Picturesque Brattleboro, published in 1894 by Frank Pomeroy...here is t...
10/26/2026

Image of Brattleboro's train stop in 1894...from Picturesque Brattleboro, published in 1894 by Frank Pomeroy...here is the opening description of Brattleboro, found in the book....."It is situated in the south-east corner of Vermont, on the Connecticut River, in the heart of New England, and is easily accessible to the great cities and to Canada. It has about seven thousand population and has been called the organ town, because the manufacture of organs is the principal industry. It is one of the oldest towns in the state. The first settlement was Fort Dummer in 1724. The Charter of Brattleboro was granted in 1753...The town gained its early reputation from the establishment of a water-cure by Dr. Robert Wesselhoeft, a German physician, in 1845. From that time it has been a favorite summer resort. Previous to the war many Southern families were accustomed to come here. Many distinguished people like F***y Fern, Harriet Beecher Stowe, George B. McClellan, William T. Sherman, Dr. Kane, the Arctic explorer, with others who might be named, declared in the early times that some of the finest scenery and some of the richest landscape views in the world are to be found here."

Rudyard Kipling was not a fan of the two railroad bridges that flanked the covered bridge over West River on Putney Road...
10/24/2026

Rudyard Kipling was not a fan of the two railroad bridges that flanked the covered bridge over West River on Putney Road in the late 1800's. He successfully wrote to executives of West River Valley and Boston & Maine Railroads to request that trains approaching the covered bridge sound horns to warn carriages, wagons and horses of oncoming trains. These horse-drawn vehicles could then wait until after the trains passed before entering the covered bridge. He feared trains passing the bridge could spook horses and cause serious accidents and injury. This resulted in warning horns at the West River crossing.
Kipling was also passionately opposed to the establishment of a local trolley system. He did not want horse-drawn carriages and wagons to be forced to share public roads with trolley cars powered by electricity. He was not successful in his efforts to stop the trolley system from coming to Brattleboro. Click the link below to hear more about Rudyard Kipling and his troubles with trains and trolleys. Image of the three bridges over West River on Putney Road, looking south, with Mt. Wantastiquet on the left...

https://soundcloud.com/bratthistoricalsoc/bhs-e589-kipling-and-crosbys

Brattleboro Vermont then and now. Vettsville South Main Street.Following WWll a temporary housing project was establish...
10/21/2026

Brattleboro Vermont then and now.
Vettsville South Main Street.
Following WWll a temporary housing project was established in 1946 for returning veterans and their families.
It consisted of 27 units created from prefabricated structures that housed approximately 54 families during its 1947 peak, with the site being cleared by 1950.

Early days of the Brattleboro trolley...looking south on Main Street...the trolley operated from 1895 to 1923
10/21/2026

Early days of the Brattleboro trolley...looking south on Main Street...the trolley operated from 1895 to 1923

Brattleboro Vermont then and now. Upper Main Street.
10/20/2026

Brattleboro Vermont then and now. Upper Main Street.

Have you ever traveled up or down Union Street hill and wondered, "Who ever came up with this idea?" The steep hill is ...
10/17/2026

Have you ever traveled up or down Union Street hill and wondered, "Who ever came up with this idea?" The steep hill is a "shortcut" between Western Avenue and Elliot Street and connects one terraced elevation of Brattleboro with another. It drops, or climbs, almost 120 feet, on a steep incline. This is an image of Union Hill, with Estey Organ complex in the background, from the late 1800's. The linked recording tells the story of how Union Street came to be...click on the link to hear the story...

https://soundcloud.com/bratthistoricalsoc/bhs-e588-making-of-union-hill

The Brattleboro Historical Society Estey Organ Company walking tour. Saturday October 17, 2026.Brattleboro Vermont.Fre...
10/15/2026

The Brattleboro Historical Society Estey Organ Company walking tour. Saturday October 17, 2026.
Brattleboro Vermont.
Free to BHS members $25 for non members that comes with a year membership.
Meet at 90 Birge Street, building #1 at 10:00 a.m.
Space is limited. To reserve your spot call 802 258 4957 or Email [email protected].

Address

230 Main Street Ste 301
Brattleboro, VT
05301

Opening Hours

10am - 12pm

Telephone

(802) 258-4957

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Brattleboro Historical Society posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category