On this day in Vermont history: Alden Partridge founded Norwich University in 1819. It was originally located in Norwich, before eventually relocating to Northfield after a fire in 1866. Here's a photograph of the school's Old South Barracks, located on the original campus in Norwich.

After that, we headed over to the St. Johnsbury History & Heritage Center for their 250th celebration and retirement party for founding director Peggy Pearl.

VHS staff recently visited the McIndoes Academy Community Center in Barnet to check out their renovations and to talk about their exhibit spaces.

On this day in Vermont History: The 10th Cavalry Regiment (a Black unit better known as the Buffalo Soldiers) arrived at Fort Ethan Allen in Colchester, Vermont in 1909.

Today is Amelia Earhart Day! The famed aviator was born on this day in 1897 in Atchison, Kansas. Here's an image of her during that visit with Governor Charles Smith at the Vermont State House in Montpelier.

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. He spoke in both Middlebury and Ferrisburgh on July 17th and 18th, which he later noted were received very differently.

While the US semiquincentennial took place 250 years ago, the US Bicentennial celebrations were underway throughout 1976. Here's a handful of items from our library collection that shows how Vermonters were observing the milestone:

Tonight at the Brookfield Old Town Hall: author Robert Mello will be speaking about Moses Robinson, Vermont's Founding Father that you've never heard of. It's put on by the Brookfield Community Partnership and will start at 6:00PM.

VHS has been going on the road this summer! Earlier this week, we stopped by the Milton Public Library for a You Be the Historian program involving stereoscopes, primary sources, and artifacts!

Today, we mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, reflecting on not just one event but the entirety of our nation’s past 250 years.

We invited a number of scholars to study and contextualize each object, and they each produced an essay for each one, exploring its place in Vermont’s history.

50 for 250 is more than an exhibit: it’s a also book that explores the last 250 years of Vermont’s Story through 50 objects from our collection!

These objects will be on display at the Vermont History Museum through December 2026. We’ve published all of the accompanying essays in a book, which is also now available from our museum store, online, and in select Vermont bookstores!

This has been a labor of love for us: an exploration of the last 250 years of Vermont’s history, as seen through 50 objects from our collection. It stretching from the earliest days of the state to the modern day and covers everything from statehood to culture and everything in between.

Our new exhibit, 50 for 250 is officially open!

The Battle of Gettysburg continued into its second day on this day in 1863. The battle was a turning point in the American Civil War, and Vermonters played a prominent role at several critical points during the battle.

Vermont's State House, Supreme Court, and the Pavilion Building are kicking off this year's 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence today in Montpelier!

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed: the exhibit will officially open on July 3rd (we'll be open by donation!) and we can't wait for you to check it out.

This is a special exhibit: it features 50 objects from the last 250 years, and last night's event welcomed VHS members and their guests, a number of the authors who wrote essays for the project and photographers who took pictures for it, as well as Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers.

We had a phenomenal time last night at our member opening for our new exhibit, 50 for 250!

We have some bittersweet news today: we're saying goodbye to Patty Wiley, our library assistant. Patty has worked for the Vermont Historical Society as an educator and librarian, and has been an indispensable figure since she began working here in 2000!

We’re currently installing the exhibit at the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier, and we’re excited to show it off to you! VHS Members will have an opportunity to check out the exhibit early on June 25th, starting at 4:30PM.

50 for 250 is coming! Our next exhibit and book will focus on the story of Vermont through the last 250 years, as told through 50 special objects from our collection!

Here’s an item from our collection from the conflict: a uniform coat and hat worn by Jacob Perkins of Orwell reportedly took part in the battle of Plattsburgh between September 6th and 11th 1814.

This is a powder horn that he carried. The inscription on the side reads "JOSEPH : HOWES : OF : LEBANON : HIS" and "HORN : MADE : IN : WICKED : CAMBRIDGE", and it features carvings of Boston.

He served in Washington's army during the Revolutionary War and fought in the battle. He was born in 1752 in Lebanon, CT but eventually settled in Norwich VT and died in 1824.

The Battle of Bunker Hill takes place in Boston on this day in 1775. Several participants eventually reached Vermont, including Joseph Howes.

Today is Vermont Days across the state of Vermont: we're open for free at both the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier and the Vermont History Center in Barre!

Today in Williston: see author Robert A. Mello talk about his new book When the Trees Came Back at the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library at 1:00PM:

Tonight at @northshirebooks.bsky.social in Manchester: Winters' Time author Jeffrey Amestoy will be speaking about his book at 6PM! Details: www.northshire.com/event/norths...