History Corner

History Corner: An Unremembered Montpelier Writer and Activist

July 25, 2026

Once a nationally known reformer, Montpelier-born Angelia Louise French Thurston Newman devoted her life to education, missionary work, prison reform, and aiding women escaping polygamy.…

History Corner: A Look Back at the 1976 Bicentennial Celebration

July 1, 2026

by Carla Occaso

On the eve of this country’s semiquincentennial, I remember the fuss made about the bicentennial celebration 50 years ago. East Montpelier started planning in…

History Corner: Early Water Systems of Montpelier Village

April 15, 2026

by Carla Occaso

How did Montpelier residents get water before the current water system was built? Around 1820, Roger Hubbard, a local merchant, ran water to his…

History Corner: Thomas Jefferson’s Sweet Trip to Vermont

March 18, 2026

by Carla Occaso

The year 1791 was a busy one for founding father Thomas Jefferson (who was the third U.S. president from 1801 to 1809). But in…

History Corner: Remembering America’s First Scoutmaster

February 18, 2026

by Carla Occaso

Did you know that the first Boy Scout troop in the United States began in Barre? Scout Troop No. 1 was formed in 1909…

History Corner: A Brief History of the Montpelier PD

January 21, 2026

by Carla Occaso

The Montpelier Police Department began shortly after 1895, when the village of Montpelier became the city of Montpelier, per a 1981 report written by…

History Corner: ‘Driving’ Turkeys from Vermont to Boston

November 26, 2025

by Carla Occaso

How did Vermont farmers get their extra turkeys to the big city markets before the railroads? By foot, according to a 2016 article by…

History Corner: Settling Berlin

October 14, 2025

by Carla Occaso

Berlin was settled by a hunter and a handful of Revolutionary War soldiers and their families, according to multiple accounts. One of the first…

History Corner: The Earliest Schools in the Village

September 16, 2025

by Carla Occaso

The settlers in Montpelier’s village began teaching school right from the beginning, according to an account in “Montpelier: The Capital City’s History from 1780-1976”…

History Corner: Covered Bridges of Washington County

August 26, 2025

by Carla Occaso

With foliage season around the corner, some may be drawn to the sight of an old-fashioned covered bridge nestled among the hills. Several remaining…

History Corner: Thunder Road Celebrates 65 Years

July 29, 2025

by Carla Occaso

Vrroom! Ever been to Thunder Road in Barre? It is a summertime tradition in central Vermont that was started in 1960 by the late…

A painting of a middle aged woman wearing red, glasses and brown hair.

History Corner: Remembering a Vermont Portraitist

July 2, 2025

by Carla Occaso

A Vermont woman painted one of the few portraits of a female legislator that hangs in the Statehouse in Montpelier. Ruth Mould, who lived from…

A photo of the front of the Federal building, the old USPS and Court House, Montpelier VT

History and Significance of the Montpelier Federal Building

May 21, 2025

by sarah

By Devin Colman The Montpelier Federal Building is at a critical juncture in its history. Built in 1964 to house the U.S. Post Office…

History Corner: About the Federal Building

May 21, 2025

by Carla Occaso

The federal building at 87 State Street in Montpelier does not look like most of the buildings in Montpelier. A sleek three-story structure built…

History Corner: The Year Without Summer

April 6, 2025

by Carla Occaso

Vermonters know how cruel spring’s arrival can be after the official date of spring. Big snow storms seem to cover the bare ground each…

History Corner: Weather Events in Early Montpelier

March 20, 2025

by Carla Occaso

Memorable weather events have long captivated (and devastated) Montpelier residents. Many such events related to flooding, as reported by Perry Merrill in his book,…