Vermont Historical Society

Era 2: Settlement & statehood 1609-1791

Caro Thompson, Champlain: The Lake Between

(Vermont Public Television, 2008) This documentary explores the context for Samuel de Champlain’s 1609 visit to the lake that now bears his name. With epic stories of conflict and diplomacy, and dramatic re-enactments, this engaging program supplies the historic backdrop for an important period in Vermont history. This special edition contains a teacher’s guide CD.

Level: middle school - adult
Number of copies: 3 DVDs

Era 3: Agricultural expansion 1790-1850

Vermont Historical Society, producers, Generation of Change: Vermont 1820-1850

(1999). This video was created to complement the Vermont Historical Society's Generation of Change museum exhibition from 1999-2001. It explores the choices that a generation of Vermonters made as they encountered change — changes in transportation, trade, religion, and politics — and how those choices influenced their families, work, and communities.

Level: middle school - adult
Number of copies available: 1 VHS video

Era 4: Economic transitions 1840-1890

Caro Thompson (producer) for Vermont Public Television, along with Flow of History and Vermont Historical Society (teaching guide and outreach partners), Noble Hearts: Civil War Vermont

(2005). This film was produced by Vermont filmmaker Caro Thompson for Vermont Public Television (VPT). It premiered on VPT in December 2005 and is a valuable supplementary tool to a broader study of the Civil War. For classroom use, this film has been bundled with a teacher's guide companion CD. This guide was co-produced by Flow of History, a US Department of Education Teaching American History grant project, and the Vermont Historical Society. These two collaborators have also produced a booklet called Classroom Connections to accompany the film and teacher's guide CD. Noble Hearts presents a vivid picture of some of the most important encounters between the Union Army's Vermont regiments and the Confederate States of America armies though interviews, historic photos, and living history events. Letters written by Vermont soldiers provide personal insights into their daily life. Excerpts from women's diaries provide a glimpse into life at home in Vermont. The teaching supplements include pre-viewing and viewing activities, post-viewing discussions, and related writing and hands-on activities for students. Finally, this package may also be used in conjunction with the Civil War Artifact Lending Kit, available for classroom rental from the Flow of History and the Vermont Historical Society.

Level: fourth grade - adult
Number of copies available: 1 DVD, 1 teacher's guide CD with teaching booklet

Vermont Historical Society, producers, The Underground Railroad and Other Journeys in the 1800s

This video provides an overview of the issues surrounding the Civil War and the Underground Railroad.

Level: middle school - adult
Number of copies available: 1 VHS video

Era 5: Growth of industry and tourism 1890-1927

Sarah Rooker and Kim King Zea, Eds., A Little Girl's Diary: Life on a Farm in Rural Vermont

(Strafford Historical Society, 1998). In 1911, seven year-old Alice Bushnell began keeping a diary of her life as a young girl on a family farm in Strafford, Vermont. This book is a reproduction of her diary with transcribed text and is part of a kit which includes a teacher's guide that recommends how to access information in the diary, and a video that provides historical context of the area in which Alice lived.

Level: elementary - middle school
Number of copies available: 1 Kit — includes 11 diaries, 1 teacher's guide, 1 VHS video

Era 6: Emergence of modern Vermont 1927-present

Norwich University, producers, Our American Journey: Calvin Coolidge

(1998). This video explores the life and times of Calvin Coolidge. Running time: 30 minutes.

Level: middle school - adult
Number of copies available: 2 VHS videos

Gregory Sharrow and Michael Sacca, producers, The Abenaki of Vermont: A Living Culture

(Middlebury, VT: The Vermont Folklife Center, 2002). This video portrays the Abenaki culture today, as expressed by several individuals and families. They speak of the importance of honoring their ancestors, elders, and children, as well as the value of being connected to the land. It includes a teacher’s guide of activities and additional resources. Running time: 28 minutes.

Level: Middle school - adult
Number of copies available: 1 VHS video with teacher's guide

General Vermont history

Catherine E.C. Hughes, The People's Guide to the Vermont Legislature

(2002). This is a video overview of the legislative process, and also explores the importance of public involvement in our state government. It invites the viewer to explore the State House and its historic beauty. Includes laminated resource guide to the State House. Running time: 27 minutes.

Level: middle school - adult
Number of copies available: 2 VHS videos with laminated guides

Mount Mansfield Television, Inc., producers, First Republic, Fourteenth Star: The WCAX-TV Bicentennial Project

(1991). This is a series of programs that was aired on WCAX-TV during Vermont's bicentennial year of 1991. The first video is an overview. Each of Vermont's fourteen counties is then profiled (two videotapes per county). There are interviews with local residents, highlights of each town, local history, and stories of agricultural and industrial development. Running time of each tape: 60-90 minutes.

Level: middle school - adult
Number of copies available: 1 set (29 VHS videos)

Gregory Sharrow, Measured Furrows: Vermont's Farming History - Video and Teachers' Guide

(middlebury, VT: Vermont Folklife Center, 1996). The printed teacher's guide is designed to accompany Measured Furrows: Vermont's Farming History, the first program in the nine-part Vermont ETV series The Farming Project. The booklet outlines key historical themes, presents timelines, and suggests discussion topics and follow-up research activities. The Measured Furrows video presents a history of Vermont agriculture from pre-history to the present, including the forces and trends that have shaped the agricultural map of Vermont, and a look at the people who have left their mark on the land. Running time: 58 minutes.

Level: middle school - High school
Number of copies available: 3 each of the VHS video and teachers' guide

Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, producers, The Vermont Heritage Series

(Charlotte, VT: Perceptions, Inc., 1991). This is a series of eight videos, ranging in length from 14 to 30 minutes each, that explores Vermont's past through visual images and expert commentary. An enjoyable and engaging way to learn about many aspects of the state's past.

1. A Rich and Ancient Heritage: Vermont's Archaeological Sites
2. A Vermont Heritage: Agricultural Building and Landscapes
3. Buildings, Villages, Towns: Traditions in Vermont Architecture
4. From Meeting House to Opera House: Vermont's Political and Cultural Heritage
5. Getting There from Here: Vermont's Transportation Heritage
6. Made in Vermont, Sold in Vermont: Our Industrial and Commercial Heritage
7. Two Centuries of Tourism in Vermont
8. A Guide to the Historic Architectural Styles of Vermont

Level: middle school - adult
Number of copies available: 1 of each VHS video

Vermont ETV, Inc., The Farming Project

(1994). This is a set of four videos that explores how Vermont farmers respond to the demands and stress of farming (The People), how Vermont farmers face a tightening and ever more complex marketplace for their products (The Market), how science and technology influences the changing face of agriculture in Vermont (The Tools), and a look at the future of Vermont agriculture in the face of changing markets, technology, and competition (The Future). Running time: 58 minutes per video.

The Farming Project:

• Troubled Harvest: The People
• Troubled Harvest: The Market
• Troubled Harvest: The Tools
• Troubled Harvest: The Future

Level: middleschool - adult
Number of copies available: 1 of each VHS video