10 am til 7 pm in Town Office

Crown Point Road

In October Dennis Devereux of Belmont, Vermont, past president of the Crown Point Road Association, gave a presentation on the marking of locations for markers along the historic road. His presentation included a map for everyone to follow as he told the history of setting out the road from the straight line originally planned to the settled placement that took into account the land features that made the straight line infeasible.

Stage Curtain Program

We moved our annual potluck supper at the Grange Hall this year from October to September and hosted the Vermont Humanities Council Speaker Christine Hadsel, who gave  a very delightful and informative slide presentation “Vermont’s Historic Theater Curtains.” When Christine began her restoration of Vermont theater curtains project, Chittenden’s curtain was among the first to undergo restoration. It is the only theater curtain found so far in New England that depicts the Civil War.

Ice Cream Social

Each year the Chittenden Historical Society gives the Muzzy Davenport Award to the student at Barstow School that demonstrates exemplary interest in local, not necessarily Chittenden, history. The recipient receives $100 and presents his or her project before the Society at our annual ice cream social. In 2019 this award was given to Paige Harned whose presentation on local Civil War veteran Edwin Horton emphasized by the adversities he suffered during the Civil War to later successes through a variety of town offices in Chittenden, the Vermont Legislature, and as a Rutland County Judge.

2019 Memorial Day Observance

At the end of May, the society held a Memorial Day observance at Memorial Park. After the short program, we tossed lilac blossoms into the stream as Taps was sounded to honor our soldiers fallen in service to our country. Then refreshments and coffee was served by the Seniors at Town Hall. With permission from the Select Board, Steve Welch and Chris Baker moved the Honor Role to stand east of the flag pole. Chittenden’s Girl Scout Troop 30332 could present the flag ceremony beside the Honor Role this year instead of hidden behind it.

Also in May, we were treated to a picture and slide presentation by Joseph and Elaine Meyers of their trip by rail in the Canadian Rockies. Spectacular views of the Canadian Southwest were coupled with the quaintness of the fast disappearing era of luxury travel by train.

Chittenden Civil War Monument

After over 100 years of standing in the middle of the village, the Chittenden Civil War monument has been cleaned, and a new fence — made by the original manufacturer — now surrounds it.

Robin Ogg initiated the project, and with Chittenden Historical Society President Steve Welch, contacted the Chittenden Select Board for support of the project. Jan Sotirakis spotted the name identifying the original manufacturer (Stewart Iron Works) on the gate. Steve handled the many details of the fence’s manufacture and also the local refurbishing of the gate. Kim Kinville, Elmer Wheeler and Chris Baker helped Steve with the installation.

July

Jessica Orluck, daughter of Ms. Jennifer Orluck of Chittenden was winner of the 2015 Muzzy Davenport Award given each year to a Barstow student for a winning project in a local history competition. She and her family were guests of honor at the Ice Cream Social on July 14 at Town Hall. Her subject was the Flood of 1947 and the role her great grandfather played in warning residents downstream from his airplane of the floodwaters heading towards them.

August

Business meeting

September

Green Mountain National Forest Archaeologist Tim Watkins gave a slide presentation on the history of the Chittenden area. His talk included pertinent town history, popular folklore, and his personal observations in coming to the East from out West.

Tim Watkins GMNF Archaelogist speaks about Chittenden history, geology and archaelogy. This was the first program to be held in the upper level of the Grange Hall after the walls were insulated and sheetrocked.

October

The potluck supper at the Grange Hall this year was followed by Vermont Humanities Council speaker and Vermont Folklife Center Co-Director and Folklorist Gregory Sharrow exploring the fabric of Vermont farm culture in the past and probes its relationship to the world of Vermont today. The program was much enjoyed, and local audience antidotes enlivened the event.

November

The annual meeting was held at the Grange Hall with the program by Julia Purdy on eugenics movement in Vermont, in which well-meaning reformers tried to “cleanse” the Vermont gene pool by a sterilization program aimed at the hill farmers, the indigent, and the “feebleminded.” It was not a pretty story but was one worthwhile revisiting.
Officers elected for 2016 are President, Karen Webster; Vice-President, Elaine Meyers; Secretary, Marcia Lertola; and Treasurer, Bob Webster; Directors for two years are Bob Muzzy and George Butts. Reggi Dubin and Newt Wetmore will continue to serve as directors until next year.

December

The Chittenden Historical Society does not hold meetings in December, but in 2015, the Society collaborated with the Chttenden Public Library to host a Holiday Tea. The Library provided a craft table for younger ones.

Librarian Christine Tate’s photo collage of the tea

Welcome to
The Chittenden Historical Society Website!

August 18, 2015, we welcome you to our updated site! In case you have not noticed the changes, this new revision will enable us to bring you news and happenings at the Chittenden Historical Society in a blog format so you will hear the news sooner than before. The blog format allows you to comment on individual news items. We welcome your feedback. Currently all comments must be approved by an administrator before they will be visible. Comments must be relevant to the news post they follow. For other correspondence, please use our email form.

Best of all, our webmaster, Cliff Dutton, has kept all the archived newsletters, press releases, projects and photos from the previous version. Please explore and let us know what you think. It is a work in progress so please let us know if you find something not right.

Green Mountain National Forest Archaeologist Tim Watkins will give a presentation before the Chittenden Historical Society on September 8 at 7PM at the North Chittenden Grange Hall, 3 Lower Middle Rd. in Chittenden. The event is free and open to the public.

Tim will discuss some of the places of importance in the formation of Chittenden and how key individuals and events helped to form the cultural landscape, peppered with popular folklore and his personal observations. He will also address the arrival of the Forest Service in town and the importance of protecting the numerous sites now administered by the Forest Service. Since Tim has recently moved to this area from the West, he will offer a new perspective on the landscape and ethnological changes taking place in Chittenden over the past 200 years.

Julia Purdy of Chittenden will talk about the eugenics movement in Vermont, whereby well-meaning reformers tried to “cleanse” the Vermont gene pool by a sterilization program aimed at the hill farmers, the indigent, and the “feeble minded.” Not a pretty story, but one worthwhile revisiting. There are some interesting wrinkles the speaker will bring in, for example, the tie-in with the growing, state-sponsored tourism industry of the 1920s-1930s.

The Chittenden Historical Society is hosting this event on Tuesday, August 11, at 7 PM at the North Chittenden Grange Hall at 3 Lower Middle Road in Chittenden. Admission to this program is free and the public is welcome.

ED. NOTE: This talk was postponed until the November meeting, November 10, at 7pm at The North Chittenden Grange Hall.

Town Hall was filled on Tuesday evening, July 14, with people wishing to meet the 2015 Muzzy Davenport Award winner, to see her presentation and to have ice cream. Award winner Jessica Orluck, her mother Jennifer Orluck and Grandparents Noreen and George Peck, IV, were our honored guests.

Jessica’s presentation “ A Modern Day Paul Revere” told a story of personal family history. On June 3rd, 1947, upon learning the flashboards at Chittenden Dam had given way, Jessica’s great grandfather George Peck, III, flew his airplane along the path of the oncoming water to alert people of the coming danger. Although there was much property damage, not one life was lost during the flood that followed, thanks to his efforts.

The vanilla ice cream, donated by Stewart’s Shops, did not disappoint. Scooped onto a base of chewy brownies and topped with handpicked strawberries, fresh whipped cream. and Vermont Sundae Sauces, chocolate fudge or maple caramel, the ice cream sundaes brought many back for seconds.