Local History
All About Wantastegok/Brattleboro
The Brooks Memorial Library supports continuing exploration of the many stories that have defined this place for as long as human beings have lived here. We invite the community to engage with and transform our local history collections.
Digital Collections: Brattleboro & Vermont History
Historical Newspapers
The library has a collection of Brattleboro historical newspapers on microfilm, but we recommend online access for keyword searching and better-quality images.
- Chronicling America includes historical newspapers up through 1921 from many U.S. States, including Vermont, free to all through the Library of Congress. This database does not require a login, and it offers some advanced search options that are not available in Vermont Historical Newspapers.
- Vermont Historical Newspapers is a valuable collection of Vermont papers from the 18th to the 21st century via newspapers.com, by special arrangement with the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA). It’s especially useful for newspapers after 1921, which is the cutoff date for the Chronicling America database. It offers many advantages over microfilm, but please review our post for current information on access to this collection.
Historical Maps
- *Sanborn Maps of Vermont Towns Historical fire insurance maps of VT towns, 1885-1950
- Lotting Plans of Vermont towns, from the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration. These plans divided land among the proprietors of the town who were originally granted the land. Search from a list of current county and town names or from a list of historic place names.
Digital Archives and Photographs
- The Brattleboro Historical Society photo archive is great for browsing images from Brattleboro’s history.
- The Porter C. Thayer Photographs collection, part of the UVM archive, contains 1300 photographs scanned from silver gelatin prints held in the collection of the Brooks Memorial Library. The prints were made from the 5×7 glass plates negatives created by Porter Thayer. Time Period Covered: 1906 – 1920.
- University of Vermont Digital Archives include many treasures of Vermont cultural history, from the maple recipe collection the Out in the Mountains LGBT newspaper.
Sound Files, Podcasts, and Video
- Brattleboro Historical Society podcasts take on topics from new perspectives and engage with subjects overlooked in published histories. Don’t miss them!
- The Brattleboro Words Trail is a series of place-based, immersive audio stories and maps that offer a deep look at the many-layered history of places and peoples in the Brattleboro area. A big contribution to the study of Brattleboro/Wantastegok from the Brattleboro Words Project.
- The Vermont Humanities Council Video Archive includes some engaging presentations on Vermont history.
Research On-Site at the Library
Brooks Memorial’s collection includes approximately 5000 book volumes and clipping files on the history of the Brattleboro area. It is separate from the collection of the Brattleboro Historical Society. Be sure to check both places for a comprehensive search.
Finding and using Local History materials: Almost all Local History materials, including clipping files, are searchable in the the library’s online catalog. The contents of the books and files are not digitized and must be accessed on-site.
Accessing the collection: Researchers are welcome to use the collection during regular business hours. Materials are in several places: on open reference shelves in the Quiet Reading Room, on the circulating shelves in the stacks (974.3 is a good place to browse), and in locked storage, accessible with help from a library staff member. Please check in at the Help Desk for help finding materials.
Technology: Visitors are welcome to bring their own scanners or cameras. Study Room C includes a flatbed scanner and a digital microfilm reader/printer for access to newspapers on microfilm–however, Vermont-based researchers are encouraged to access historical newspapers online, described on this page. Watch brief tutorials on using the ScanPro reader/printer for microfilm and microfiche.
Remote assistance: We provide limited help to researchers outside the Brattleboro area when we are able to devote staff time to the work. For questions about remote research, please fill out the Ask a Librarian form or call the Reference Desk at (802) 254-5290 ext. 1209.
Partner Organizations and their Collections
- The Elnu Abenaki Tribe works to sustain Abenaki cultural heritage in “what is now called southern Vermont, along the Kwenitekw and Wantastekw (Connecticut and West Rivers), and the landscapes within those and connected watersheds.”
- The Brattleboro Historical Society has a large collection with unique materials that do not overlap with the library. Be sure to consult both collections for a comprehensive search.
- The Vermont Historical Society maintains a lively website dense with information about Vermont history, including the full text of the Vermont History journal and other remote research sources. The Leahy Library catalog at VHS includes many interesting surprises. Try searching to get a sense of the scope of that collection.
- Vermont Folk life Center is a nationally-known folk life education organization that uses ethnography to strengthen the understanding of the cultural and social fabric of Vermont’s diverse communities.
Archives, Art, and Artifacts
Since the earliest library association in 1821, Brattleboro’s public library has been entrusted with unique historical and fine art materials that have become part of the library’s collections. Many of these objects are displayed in the library.
Some highlights of these special collections:
- Sculpture and painting by noted local artists from Brattleboro’s history
- Imprints from Brattleboro’s centuries-long history as a printing and publishing town
- Archival ledgers, diaries, and other unique materials in the Local History collections
- Artifacts like the mammoth tusk, a favorite object on display.
The library’s archival materials are searchable in the catalog, and access to them can be arranged through the Help Desk. The Library is working toward more formal organization of its archives. In the meantime, library staff members at the Help Desk can assist in finding an accessing unique materials in the collection.
Archives Blog
Community Archives Project
In November of 2019, the library engaged SIT librarian/Vermont Jazz Center archivist John Levin to review the contents of our Local History collections and identify archival gems that were hidden
Traditional Dance Music
One of the gems uncovered in the library’s Community Archives Project was a 1970s oral history project that chronicled the traditional dance music of the area. Here, a musician draws
Genealogy
The library does not maintain an extensive paper genealogy collection, but some resources in our Local History collection are relevant to genealogists. Please see the Genealogy research guide for links to online genealogy tools, information on the Windham County Genealogy Interest Group, and connections to strong genealogy collections in the Brattleboro area.