05/31/2026
Upcoming program by the Weathersfield Historical Society --
Sampler Program with Ellen Thompson in Ascutney on Sunday, June 14 at 2 pm. The Weathersfield Historical Society will host a program on Vermont Samplers by Ellen Thompson, Project Manager of the Vermont Sampler Initiative, at the Weathersfield Proctor Library.
In the 19th century girls worked on samplers from a young age. However, some teenagers and young women attended schools where they worked under the guidance of an expert to create
more complicated pictures.
In her work as program director of the Vermont Sampler Initiative, Ellen Thompson has been discovering Vermont samplers in public and private collections – including 11 samplers from Weathersfielders Caty Hill, Ruth Perkins, Mary Jarvis, Drusilla Upham, Lucy Waters Chillson, Maria Upham, Lucy Tolles and Adaline Divoll. (Some of these are in museum collections, some in private collections, and Ellen Thompson will show images of all of these.) In fact, Weathersfield is "ground zero" to one of the more unique sampler designs of 19th Century America. You will learn more about their schoolwork and their part in putting Vermont on the map. Ellen Thompson will also be exploring the messages conveyed in these samplers.
The Vermont Sampler Initiative has documented nearly 600 samplers made in Vermont. Bring your sampler and learn more about it.
Where: Weathersfield Proctor Library, Route 5, Ascutney, Vermont
When: Sunday, June 14 at 2 pm
Hosted by the Weathersfield Historical Society
No admission, but donations to help defray Ellen’s travel costs gratefully accepted.
