Brooks Memorial Library - Brattleboro VT

Financial Empowerment
2026-05-25 17:30 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Financial Q & A with SEVCA and Mascoma Bank
All are welcome to these programs, held on the 4th Mondays of the month throughout 2026, with different topics for each session and peer support encouraged throughout. Representatives from SEVCA and Mascoma Bank facilitate the discussions, share their expertise, and respond to individual questions and concerns. A light meal will be served at 5:30PM; the focused conversation starts at 6:00 PM.
Registration is required. To sign-up, you can call (802-254-5290), stop by the circulation desk, or email us at circ@brookslibraryvt.org

Art & Exploration at the Library - Creating Cyanotype Art
2026-05-26 13:30 - 15:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Join teaching artist, Evie Lovett, for this free 6-week book exploration and art-making course for learners ages 60+. Participants will have the opportunity to explore books on a variety of themes and create cyanotype art in response to those themes. Cyanotype is a process of making photographs with the sun or UV light. This course is perfect for participants new to creating art and interested in a social book club experience. Supplies provided. Registration is required; stop by or call the Circulation Desk at (802) 254-5290. Or, you can email: outreach@brookslibraryvt.org

Green Carnation Reading Group
2026-05-26 19:00 - 20:30, 2026-06-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Meeting Room D – Quiet Reading Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Discussions of books by and for queer people. For more information, please visit the Green Carnation Reading Group Facebook page.

Brattleboro 250 Planning Sessions
2026-05-27 18:00 - 20:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Come and connect with others who are interested in working on plans to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States in 2026.
This monthly meeting space on the 4th Wednesdays is dedicated for those who would like the opportunity to connect, collaborate, and work on projects that align with Vermont’s 250th Anniversary Commission’s mission to “…inspire all Vermonters to learn from the history, legacy, and context of the past to build strong Vermont communities for the future.”
The space is being hosted by Brooks Memorial Library, Vermont Independent Media (The Commons) and Windham World Affairs Council, with support from the Vermont Humanities Council. We are already working together on a collaboration entitled, ‘Examining American Identity and Leadership in a Changing World – and have joined America 250, a national initiative asking communities to plan for how to commemorate the 250th year of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Its mission is to provide opportunities for all Americans to pause and reflect on our nation’s past & present, honor the contributions of all Americans, and look to the future we want to create for the next generation and beyond.

Brattleboro in Stitches
2026-05-30 13:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-06 13:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-13 13:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-20 13:00 - 16:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Bring a work in progress to sew, knit, crochet, embroider, or mend. Sewing machines, irons, and companionship will be provided.

Windham County Democratic Committee
2026-06-01 18:00 - 20:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Monthly Meeting of the Windham County Democratic Committee

Mineralogical Society
2026-06-02 18:00 - 20:45 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Join the Brattleboro Mineralogical Society to discuss Minerals and other Geological topics!

Vermont Pastel Society
2026-06-03 15:30 - 17:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
pastel painting

A Lifeline for Difficult Times: The Taking Solace Series
2026-06-03 18:00 - 20:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Starting this November, Center for Solace (formerly Brattleboro Area Hospice) & Brooks Memorial Library
are inspired to begin an 8-month collaboration on the first Wednesday of each month, from 6-8 pm.
Come join us for a wide range of conversations
on tender topics, from Death Cafes, to film & discussion nights,
speaker panels, a climate-grief dialogue, and more.
This month’s topic, “Death Cleaning”: The mindful practice of
decluttering, sorting, clearing, and letting go of possessions now
(before you die), so that your loved ones will not be burdened by this
task after you die.
What obstacles keep us from beginning this process?
Once we begin, what support do we need to persist?
Come share questions, thoughts, ideas, and experiences about
the idea of taking care of our stuff so others won’t have to.
We begin November 5th from 6-8pm
with a Death Cafe in the Community Room.
And to find out about further topics, please follow
Center for Solace or Brooks Memorial Library on Facebook:
centerforsolace.org, or brookslibraryvt.org.

Estate Sale - Auditions for Play "Die Mommie Die!"
2026-06-06 10:20 - 12:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
New Brattleboro drag collective, “Estate Sale”, is holding auditions for an upcoming November play, “Die Mommie Die!” by drag queen playwright Charles Busch. The play is set in 1960s Beverly Hills. It’s a raunchy, campy, comedic melodrama about a formerly famous singer, Angela Arden, and her dysfunctional family. Of course there’s a lot more to it than that, but no spoilers! Come to the group audition if you want to flex your acting chops, have an appreciation for queer media, feel like doing some improv games, or want to make some interesting friends. Stay for just twenty minutes, or the whole time. No monologue required!

Community Conversations with Brattleboro State Legislators
2026-06-06 10:30 - 12:00 | Main Reading Room
As the Brattleboro Legislative Delegation gears up for the start of a new legislative session in January, these monthly sessions are an opportunity to meet the Brattleboro Representatives and discuss issues that matter to you. Topics will include healthcare, education, climate change, and housing. All are welcome to join your Vermont Legislators, hear from experts, and share your experiences.
These conversations are scheduled monthly on the 1st Saturdays from 10:30 AM – 12 PM. (Scheduled dates: 2/7, 3/7, 4/4, 5/2, and 6/6.)

Sci-Fi Film Series: GATTACA
2026-06-07 16:00 - 19:00 | The Latchis Theatre, 50 Main Street, Brattleboro, Vermont, 05301, United States
The Sci-Fi Film Series is your chance to see great and classic Sci-Fi films on the big screen! Join us at the Latchis Theater to watch this month’s film, Gattaca!
Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Alan Arkin, and Jude Law star in this engrossing sci-fi thriller about an all-too-human man who dares to defy a system obsessed with genetic perfection. Hawke stars as Vincent, an “In-Valid” who assumes the identity of a member of the genetic elite to pursue his goal of traveling into space with the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation. However, a week before his mission, a murder marks Vincent as a suspect. With a relentless investigator in pursuit and the colleague he has fallen in love with beginning to suspect his deception, Vincent’s dreams steadily unravel.
Attendees are invited to stay afterward for a discussion about the film. Admission by donation.
Brooks Memorial Library and the Latchis Theater are thrilled to invite you to the first installment of this new exciting program. Sponsored by the Friends of Brooks Memorial Library.

Art & Exploration with the Library - at Bradley House
2026-06-09 13:30 - 15:00, 2026-06-16 13:30 - 15:00, 2026-06-23 13:30 - 15:00 | Bradley House, 65 Harris Avenue, Brattleboro, 05301, United States
Join teaching artists from the River Gallery School for this free 6-week book exploration and art-making course for learners ages 60+ at the Bradley House Activity Room. Participants will have the opportunity to explore books on a variety of themes and create art in response to those themes. This course is perfect for participants new to creating art and interested in a social book club experience. Supplies provided.

Registration is required. To register, contact the Circulation Desk at 802-254-5290 or circ@brookslibraryvt.org. You may attend individual sessions or all sessions.

Rapid Reviews - Adult Summer Reading Program Kick-Off
2026-06-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Main Reading Room
We are kicking off the Adult Summer Reading Program with Rapid Reviews of 50 books in 50 minutes! Experience a wide range of book recommendations from our well-read library staff to get ready for a spectacular summer of reading.
Five reviewers will review some of their all-time favorites.
Each reviewer will give 60-second reviews of each book and you will have the opportunity to check out these books right away! Cookies and milk will be served. All ages are welcome.
Check out the list of books reviewed this year: Rapid Reviews – June 9, 2026.
Check out the list of books reviewed last year: Rapid Reviews – June 4, 2025.

BETTER OFF READ: an evening with Imogen Binnie and Torrey Peters
2026-06-12 19:00 - 20:30 | Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, 10 Vernon Street, Brattleboro, 05301, United States
Out in the Open, BMAC, Everyone’s Books, and Brooks Memorial Library present:

BETTER OFF READ: an evening with Imogen Binnie and Torrey Peters
Friday, June 12 at 7 pm
Event Location: Brattleboro Museum & Art Center

Join us in June for a sparkling evening of trans literature and conversation! In partnership with Everyone’s Books and Brooks Memorial Library, Out in the Open is thrilled to host award-winning authors Imogen Binnie and Torrey Peters at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center. There will be desserts, discussion, books for sale, and more.

This program is supported by a Brattleboro Town Arts Fund grant. FREE and open to all!

The Country in the Mirror: Poems of Protest and Witness - Poetry Reading
2026-06-13 14:00 - 16:00 | Main Reading Room
Poets and editor Sharon Darrow will be reading from “The Country in the Mirror: Poems of Protest & Witness,” published by Rootstock Publishing.
Would you like to read a poem on the themes of protest and witness at the event? There will be an open mic sign up sheet on a first come, first served basis.
“Including nearly ninety poets from across the United States and Canada, The Country in the Mirror: Poems of Protest & Witness is an urgent anthology of poems written in response to these troubling times. It is comprised of a variety of voices, from new writers to well-seasoned poets who are widely published and celebrated, such as Martín Espada, Nikki Grimes, Rachel Hadas, Gregory Maguire, Bianca Stone, among others. The poems explore a myriad of issues related to immigration, detention, civil rights, climate change, rising fascism, global wars, genocide, abortion, LGBTQIA+ experiences and more.
This collection holds a mirror to our diversity, our freedom of expression, and our collective humanity to remind us of the liberties we have as Americans, and to caution of their loss.”

Brattleboro Stamp Club
2026-06-15 19:00 - 20:45 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Join the Brattleboro Stamp Club for all sorts of philatelic curios, conversation, and comradery!

Medicare 101: Medicare Educational Seminar
2026-06-16 11:00 - 12:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Medicare 101: An Educational Seminar on Medicare. What is Medicare and when do you sign up. Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Sheild of Vermont.

Financial Empowerment: Preventing and Overcoming Fraud
2026-06-22 17:30 - 19:00 | Meeting Room D – Quiet Reading Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Join us for a discussion about how to prevent and overcome fraud with SEVCA and Mascoma Bank.
Financial Q & A with SEVCA and Mascoma Bank
All are welcome to these programs, held on the 4th Mondays of the month throughout 2026, with different topics for each session and peer support encouraged throughout. Representatives from SEVCA and Mascoma Bank facilitate the discussions, share their expertise, and respond to individual questions and concerns. A light meal will be served at 5:30PM; the focused conversation starts at 6:00 PM.
Registration is required. To sign-up, you can call (802-254-5290), stop by the circulation desk, or email us at circ@brookslibraryvt.org

Sci-Fi Reading Group
2026-06-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Meeting Room B – Mezzanine Room, Main Street 224, Brattleboro, Vermont, 05301, United States
The Sci-Fi Reading Group will meet in the Quiet Reading Room from 7:00pm – 8:30pm to discuss Dawn by Octavia E. Butler!
When Lilith lyapo wakes from a centuries-long sleep, she finds herself aboard the vast spaceship of the Oankali. She discovers that the Oankali—a seemingly benevolent alien race—intervened in the fate of the humanity hundreds of years ago, saving everyone who survived a nuclear war from a dying, ruined Earth and then putting them into a deep sleep. After learning all they could about Earth and its beings, the Oankali healed the planet, cured cancer, increased human strength, and they now want Lilith to lead her people back to Earth—but salvation comes at a price.
Please note that this SFRG will be meeting on the fourth Monday of the month! The Sci-Fi Reading Group typically meets the third Monday of every month and is open to curious minds of all ages, whether or not they’ve read this month’s selection.

Birds Are Dinosaurs -- Meet Live Birds of Prey with VINS!
2026-06-23 18:30 - 19:30 | Main Reading Room
What did 65 million years of evolution turn the dinosaurs into? Birds!
Celebrating “Unearth a Story,” the Vermont Institute of Natural Science is excited to introduce you to some live birds of prey and learn all about their dinosaur ancestry together. We’ll explore the ways modern birds became masters of the air, and understand the immense timescale over which these dinosaur-descendants adapted!
Free and open to all ages. No registration is required. This event is part of the Brooks Memorial Library’s “Unearth A Story” Adult Summer Reading program.
This event is sponsored by the Friends of Brooks Memorial Library.

Vermont Institute of Natural Science
Founded in 1972, the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) is a nonprofit environmental education organization based in Quechee, Vermont. VINS’ mission is to motivate individuals and communities to care for the environment through education, research and avian wildlife rehabilitation. VINS Animal Outreaches deliver place-based education programs, combining environmental science concepts with hands-on exploration to build empathy and empower individuals to care for local natural ecosystems.

Brattleboro Words Trail Ribbon Cutting
2026-06-24 11:30 - 13:00 | Brattleboro Train Station, 10 Vernon Road, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Words Trail Mural unveiled at Brattleboro Amtrak Station
28 May 2026, Brattleboro Vermont: On June 24, an Exhibit celebrating Vermont’s most-storied small town will be unveiled at the ribbon cutting for the new Amtrak station on Depot Street, directly across the tracks from the former station. Amtrak officials and local, regional and federal leaders will preside over a ceremony that will take place from 11:30 am to 1pm. Refreshments will be provided on site by Amtrak. Town leaders say the station opening and exhibit are part of a historic downtown waterfront revitalization.
“It is a great fit for us to highlight Brattleboro’s unique and rich literary history by including the beautiful, locally created Brattleboro Words Trail murals and maps as part of the design for the new Amtrak station.” Dr. David Handera, Amtrak Vice President of Stations, Facilities, Properties and Accessibility, said. The new station features Vermont’s first at-grade level boarding platform allowing passengers to walk directly onto the train without navigating stairs or steps.
Brattleboro Town Manager John Potter shared that the new train station and exhibit, “are signs that people and organizations are ready to invest in making Brattleboro’s historic downtown riverfront a welcoming and wonderful place for years to come.”
The Brooks Memorial Library’s 14-foot, interactive ceramic Brattleboro Words Trail Exhibit links sites to Brattleboro and surrounding towns to audio stories on a free app. The Exhibit, designed by Brattleboro artist Cynthia Houghton, will permanently occupy the platform-facing outside wall of the new train station.
Launching of the Exhibit marks the Project’s transition, shepherded by former library director Starr LaTronica, into its new home at Brooks Memorial Library. “The collaboration with the Brattleboro Words Project and all the partners supporting this exhibit are part of the library’s mission to inspire, inform, and empower our diverse community while celebrating Brattleboro’s unique literary history,” said Margaret Atkinson, Chair of Brooks Memorial Library Trustees.
The Brattleboro Words Trail features stories about key literary figures from or who chose to settle in Brattleboro and its close environs, including Rudyard Kipling, Robert Frost and Lucy Terry Prince, the nation’s first African-American poet, among others.
The Exhibit is a culmination of almost 10 years of work to connect community members around shared storytelling. At the opening ceremony, the Exhibit will be unveiled by artist Cynthia Houghton with comments by Brattleboro Words Project Director and Exhibit Coordinator Lissa Weinmann. Attendees will be able to interact with Cynthia, other leaders, and actors depicting characters featured on the Brattleboro Words Trail, as well as get their copies of the Brattleboro Words Trail maps, newly designed by Christopher Grotke of MuseArts.
The Exhibit will be maintained by Friends of Brooks Memorial Library and Brattleboro’s Sunrise Rotary Club using a long-term maintenance fund secured by the Words Project.

Later that evening of June 24th, around 6pm, actors led by the Tiny Theater will perform “From Revolution to Reflection: Live on the Brattleboro Words Trail”, an America 250-inspired performance at the Historic Downtown Waterfront (rain date at Brooks Memorial Library). More information about that can be found on brattleborowords.org.

About the Brattleboro Words Trail
The Brattleboro Words Project was initially funded by a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) “Creating Humanities Communities” 2017–2021 matching grant to celebrate the unique literary and historical legacy of Brattleboro. The Brattleboro Words Trail is designed to generate interest about the rich history of this “Gateway to Vermont”, for those visiting the area as well as people already settled here. From native Abenaki stories, the trailblazing Estey Organ Company, the Wesselhoeft water-cure and Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams to Rudyard Kipling’s best friend Mary Cabot, Robert Frost’s impact on Marlboro College and Richard Morris Hunt, the architect who designed the Statue of Liberty pedestal, the different audio stories present a deep dive into the local history and writers and other people important to the area’s history of ‘words’.
Weinmann, also founder of 118 Elliot, along with William Edelglass, PhD, a professor of philosophy at (then) Marlboro College, wrote and secured the NEH grant application. Weinmann was elected Project Director by a 14-person leadership team led by Project partners Brooks Memorial Library, the Brattleboro Literary Festival, the Brattleboro Historical Society, Write Action and Marlboro College (fiscal sponsorship switched to Vermont Folklife after Marlboro College closed in 2020).
The Project launched the Brattleboro Words Trail app and published the book “Print Town: Brattleboro’s Legacy of Words” in 2021. Since then a small Advisory Team (Edelglass, LaTronica, Rolf Parker, Sally Seymour, Shanta Lee and Weinmann) have produced: 24 new stories to relaunch an improved app now with more than 120 stories; a monthly Brattleboro Words Trail Podcast for longer-form stories; African American Heritage Trail stories produced by artist Shanta Lee; reprints and distribution of the “Print Town” book and a redesign of the printed map the Exhibit at the Amtrak station. A full video archive of the Words Project is available at Brattleboro Community Television (BCTV): https://www.brattleborotv.org/brattleboro-words-project/
At the culmination of Weinmann’s long experience leading this project, she reflects, “The Brattleboro Words Trail started as a novel idea that has now helped shape the town’s identity as a nationally significant literary hub as expressed by hundreds of community members. The permanent Exhibit at the new Amtrak station will be the cultural anchor for a new town common at the historic downtown waterfront, and a great addition to Brooks Memorial Library where we hope new stories can continue to be told.”
Since its introduction, the Brattleboro Words Trail app has had more than 16,000 users. The Project won the Vermont Historical Society’s Hathaway Award for best history project in 2021 and an Award of Excellence from the American Association of State and Local History.
The Project donated digital recording equipment and trainings to area schools and Brooks Library. Student work, facilitated by Joe Rivers of the Brattleboro Historical Society and other teachers, is included on the Words Trail. BHS Trustee Bill Holiday added, “This collaborative focus highlights how the town’s voices, narratives, and creative expressions deepen understanding of Brattleboro’s evolving identity.”
About the Exhibit and Map Artists
Brattleboro-based artist Cynthia Houghton is the lead designer at Natalie Blake Studios where she has created ceramic murals for public and private installations throughout the United States for the past two decades. She specializes in sgraffito, a ceramic carving technique which creates a look similar to wood block or linoleum printing. The Brattleboro Words Project commissioned her to carve tiles from clay that together represent Downtown Brattleboro and the larger Brattleboro region. The final exhibit combines 10 18×18-inch tiles, 12 carved portrait medallions, text and photos. The murals and maps include some original Sokoki Abenaki place names – Wantastagok is Brattleboro – as they remain an important part of our continued, shared story. An interesting short video of Houghton’s process of creating the clay murals can be found here.
Sharing her process of working on the Exhibit, Cynthia said “Creating this Exhibit for the new Amtrak station has been a six-year long journey for me, starting during COVID and persisting into the present…Lissa Weinman has carried this final phase of the project over the finish line with the help of architects, engineers, builders, funders, storytellers and numerous community members. The Exhibit and the digital app offer a glimpse into the lives of so many people and stories connected to this place. I’m proud to have contributed my skills to support a project of this depth, scope and quality.”
A custom framing of the Exhibit was undertaken by local woodworker Claude Blazej who designed a white oak frame built with help and support from HatchSpace founder, Tom Bodett. Both Blazej and Bodett volunteered their efforts to the project. All of the audio stories on the Traill were mastered by Guilford Sound as an in-kind contribution.
Other Key Supporters
Along with them, Brattleboro Words Trail is also grateful to Stone Bridge Iron & Steel, Inc which donated the steel and the installation holding the exhibit up; Jim Williams Architecture and Austin Design Cooperative for technical drawings; Nick Moorhouse, Moorhouse Made, for exhibit logo and map box; Sara Coffey and David Snyder for the Exhibit maintenance fund; an ‘Animating Infrastructure Grant’ from the Vermont Arts Council; a Vermont Humanities Council grant; Brattleboro Savings & Loan support for maps; Windham Foundation, John Hooper, Johnny Gifford at BCTV, the Town of Brattleboro and others too numerous to be named. A full list of hundreds of supporters and Project participants can be found at BrattleboroWords.org.

Revolution to Reflection: Live on the Brattleboro Words Trail
2026-06-24 18:00 - 20:00 | Brattleboro Train Station, 10 Vernon Road, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
To celebrate the permanent installation of Brattleboro Words Trail murals and maps at the Brattleboro Amtrak station, Actors led by the Tiny Theater will perform “From Revolution to Reflection: Live on the Brattleboro Words Trail”, an America 250-inspired performance at the Historic Downtown Waterfront* (or in case of rain, at the Brooks Memorial Library). More information about that can be found on brattleborowords.org.

“It is a great fit for us to highlight Brattleboro’s unique and rich literary history by including the beautiful, locally created Brattleboro Words Trail murals and maps as part of the design for the new Amtrak station.” Dr. David Handera, Amtrak Vice President of Stations, Facilities, Properties and Accessibility, said. The new station features Vermont’s first at-grade level boarding platform allowing passengers to walk directly onto the train without navigating stairs or steps.
Brattleboro Town Manager John Potter shared that the new train station and exhibit, “are signs that people and organizations are ready to invest in making Brattleboro’s historic downtown riverfront a welcoming and wonderful place for years to come.”
The Brooks Memorial Library’s 14-foot, interactive ceramic Brattleboro Words Trail Exhibit links sites to Brattleboro and surrounding towns to audio stories on a free app. The Exhibit, designed by Brattleboro artist Cynthia Houghton, will permanently occupy the platform-facing outside wall of the new train station.
Launching of the Exhibit marks the Project’s transition, shepherded by former library director Starr LaTronica, into its new home at Brooks Memorial Library. “The collaboration with the Brattleboro Words Project and all the partners supporting this exhibit are part of the library’s mission to inspire, inform, and empower our diverse community while celebrating Brattleboro’s unique literary history,” said Margaret Atkinson, Chair of Brooks Memorial Library Trustees.
The Brattleboro Words Trail features stories about key literary figures from or who chose to settle in Brattleboro and its close environs, including Rudyard Kipling, Robert Frost and Lucy Terry Prince, the nation’s first African-American poet, among others.
The Exhibit is a culmination of almost 10 years of work to connect community members around shared storytelling. At the opening ceremony, the Exhibit will be unveiled by artist Cynthia Houghton with comments by Brattleboro Words Project Director and Exhibit Coordinator Lissa Weinmann. Attendees will be able to interact with Cynthia, other leaders, and actors depicting characters featured on the Brattleboro Words Trail, as well as get their copies of the Brattleboro Words Trail maps, newly designed by Christopher Grotke of MuseArts.
The Exhibit will be maintained by Friends of Brooks Memorial Library and Brattleboro’s Sunrise Rotary Club using a long-term maintenance fund secured by the Words Project.
Later that evening of June 24th, around 6pm, actors led by the Tiny Theater will perform “From Revolution to Reflection: Live on the Brattleboro Words Trail”, an America 250-inspired performance at the Historic Downtown Waterfront* (rain date at Brooks Memorial Library). More information about that can be found on brattleborowords.org.
*PLEASE NOTE: this event is planned to be held outside, at the foot of the the old Anna Hunt Marsh Bridge.

About the Brattleboro Words Trail
The Brattleboro Words Project was initially funded by a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) “Creating Humanities Communities” 2017–2021 matching grant to celebrate the unique literary and historical legacy of Brattleboro. The Brattleboro Words Trail is designed to generate interest about the rich history of this “Gateway to Vermont”, for those visiting the area as well as people already settled here. From native Abenaki stories, the trailblazing Estey Organ Company, the Wesselhoeft water-cure and Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams to Rudyard Kipling’s best friend Mary Cabot, Robert Frost’s impact on Marlboro College and Richard Morris Hunt, the architect who designed the Statue of Liberty pedestal, the different audio stories present a deep dive into the local history and writers and other people important to the area’s history of ‘words’.
Weinmann, also founder of 118 Elliot, along with William Edelglass, PhD, a professor of philosophy at (then) Marlboro College, wrote and secured the NEH grant application. Weinmann was elected Project Director by a 14-person leadership team led by Project partners Brooks Memorial Library, the Brattleboro Literary Festival, the Brattleboro Historical Society, Write Action and Marlboro College (fiscal sponsorship switched to Vermont Folklife after Marlboro College closed in 2020).
The Project launched the Brattleboro Words Trail app and published the book “Print Town: Brattleboro’s Legacy of Words” in 2021. Since then a small Advisory Team (Edelglass, LaTronica, Rolf Parker, Sally Seymour, Shanta Lee and Weinmann) have produced: 24 new stories to relaunch an improved app now with more than 120 stories; a monthly Brattleboro Words Trail Podcast for longer-form stories; African American Heritage Trail stories produced by artist Shanta Lee; reprints and distribution of the “Print Town” book and a redesign of the printed map the Exhibit at the Amtrak station. A full video archive of the Words Project is available at Brattleboro Community Television (BCTV): https://www.brattleborotv.org/brattleboro-words-project/
At the culmination of Weinmann’s long experience leading this project, she reflects, “The Brattleboro Words Trail started as a novel idea that has now helped shape the town’s identity as a nationally significant literary hub as expressed by hundreds of community members. The permanent Exhibit at the new Amtrak station will be the cultural anchor for a new town common at the historic downtown waterfront, and a great addition to Brooks Memorial Library where we hope new stories can continue to be told.”
Since its introduction, the Brattleboro Words Trail app has had more than 16,000 users. The Project won the Vermont Historical Society’s Hathaway Award for best history project in 2021 and an Award of Excellence from the American Association of State and Local History.
The Project donated digital recording equipment and trainings to area schools and Brooks Library. Student work, facilitated by Joe Rivers of the Brattleboro Historical Society and other teachers, is included on the Words Trail. BHS Trustee Bill Holiday added, “This collaborative focus highlights how the town’s voices, narratives, and creative expressions deepen understanding of Brattleboro’s evolving identity.”
About the Exhibit and Map Artists
Brattleboro-based artist Cynthia Houghton is the lead designer at Natalie Blake Studios where she has created ceramic murals for public and private installations throughout the United States for the past two decades. She specializes in sgraffito, a ceramic carving technique which creates a look similar to wood block or linoleum printing. The Brattleboro Words Project commissioned her to carve tiles from clay that together represent Downtown Brattleboro and the larger Brattleboro region. The final exhibit combines 10 18×18-inch tiles, 12 carved portrait medallions, text and photos. The murals and maps include some original Sokoki Abenaki place names – Wantastagok is Brattleboro – as they remain an important part of our continued, shared story. An interesting short video of Houghton’s process of creating the clay murals can be found here.
Sharing her process of working on the Exhibit, Cynthia said “Creating this Exhibit for the new Amtrak station has been a six-year long journey for me, starting during COVID and persisting into the present…Lissa Weinman has carried this final phase of the project over the finish line with the help of architects, engineers, builders, funders, storytellers and numerous community members. The Exhibit and the digital app offer a glimpse into the lives of so many people and stories connected to this place. I’m proud to have contributed my skills to support a project of this depth, scope and quality.”
A custom framing of the Exhibit was undertaken by local woodworker Claude Blazej who designed a white oak frame built with help and support from HatchSpace founder, Tom Bodett. Both Blazej and Bodett volunteered their efforts to the project. All of the audio stories on the Traill were mastered by Guilford Sound as an in-kind contribution.
Other Key Supporters
Along with them, Brattleboro Words Trail is also grateful to Stone Bridge Iron & Steel, Inc which donated the steel and the installation holding the exhibit up; Jim Williams Architecture and Austin Design Cooperative for technical drawings; Nick Moorhouse, Moorhouse Made, for exhibit logo and map box; Sara Coffey and David Snyder for the Exhibit maintenance fund; an ‘Animating Infrastructure Grant’ from the Vermont Arts Council; a Vermont Humanities Council grant; Brattleboro Savings & Loan support for maps; Windham Foundation, John Hooper, Johnny Gifford at BCTV, the Town of Brattleboro and others too numerous to be named. A full list of hundreds of supporters and Project participants can be found at BrattleboroWords.org.

Windham County Genealogy Interest Group June Meeting
2026-06-27 11:00 - 13:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
The Windham County Genealogy Interest Group will meet at the Brooks Memorial Library and on Zoom, Saturday, June 27, 2026, 11:00 AM to 1:00PM

Topics will include “Gravestone & Cemetery Records Research; the 1926 Irish Census and Researching an Artifact.” The meeting is Free and open to all.

Please register at this link https://bit.ly/WCGIG-2026.

“Using Gravestones and Cemetery Records for Genealogy”

Using gravestones and cemetery records can break through genealogical “brick walls” by providing birth/death dates, maiden names, and clues to family relationships, especially for individuals who died before mandatory vital records. Locating a burial site is possible by using online databases, death certificates or funeral homes.

Analyzing the gravestone is important by documenting everything: Checking all sides, cleaning the stone without damaging it, interpreting symbols and art to obtain clues to the person’s life. (As an aside, we will take a look at the “Rockingham School” of cemetery art.)

Cemetery records will show who owns the plot and the people buried there. Burial registers may give details like cause of death, age, and place of death. Research strategies include checking on neighboring graves for relatives, name variations, and verifying information that is on the memorial.

“Let’s Find Out about the Newly Released 1926 Irish Census”

The 1926 Irish Census was released publicly on April 18, 2026, following the 100 year rule that embargo census returns in Ireland. The population of 2,971,992 residents was surveyed and collected across 26 counties. The unique part of this census release was the first time household members could complete their own census form in the Irish language.

Some of the other enhancements in this census include: the age of members of a household are expressed in years and months rather than just in years; detailed occupations and workplace address were added , as well as a couples’ martial status.

We will take a look at the National Archives of Ireland website to search the census. If you have any ancestors living in Ireland at that time, send their names and county of residence to windhamcountygig@gmail.com.

How to Research an Artifact

Lynne Snyder will provide an overview of how to search an historic family heirloom or artifact. She will use a barometer that was owned by a great uncle to demonstrate how to find the provenance and other facts about these family keepsakes.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Windham County Genealogy Interest Group
windhamcountygig@gmail.com
