Franklin and Grand Isle Counties Historical Societies

Alburgh Historical Society, Inc.

Alburg Public Library, 165 Main Street, Alburgh, VT
Mailing Address: PO Box 453, Alburgh, VT 05440
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Phone: 802-796-4144 or 802-796-3547
Contact: Christine Tepper,  802-796-4144, or Lorraine Mumley,  802-796-3547 Co-Presidents.

Monthly business meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm at the Alburg Public Library. Various programs and presentations are held throughout the year; notices appear in the local newspapers, The Islander and The Champlain Weekly.  Reprints (softcover) of the History of Alburgh, Vermont Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 by Allen Stratton are available for sale.

Hours and Admission: Library hours: Monday - Saturday.

Bakersfield Historical Society

Museum in former St George's Catholic Church, VT Route 36 & VT Route 108, Bakersfield, VT
Mailing Address: PO Box 70, Bakersfield, VT 05441
Phone: 802-827-6125
Contact: Kathy Kontos, President

Bakersfield has an extensive history as an academy town, Brigham Academy being the jewel in the crown. We have many photographs, cemetery lists, and Civil War documents.

Hours and Admission: July - August: Sunday 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm, or by appointment.

Berkshire Historical Society

First Congregational Church Museum, Montgomery Road, East Berkshire, VT
Mailing Address: 2520 Richford Road, Richford, VT 05476
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Phone: 802-848-3459
Contact: John Weld, President

The collection at the Church Museum includes many photographs, cameras, quilts, books, ledgers, scrapbooks, butter churns, East Berkshire Post Office boxes, a Sampson Power threshing machine, some old clothes, and the church sanctuary.

Hours and Admission:   Summers by appointment.

Enosburgh Historical Society

Museum, 55 Railroad Street, Enosburg Falls, VT
Mailing Address: PO Box 98, Enosburg Falls, VT 05450
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Phone: 802-933-2102
Contact: Janice Geraw, Curator

Many of the collected items relate to the Dr. B. J. Kendall Company and other medicine-producing companies that operated in Enosburgh in the late 1800s. The museum has a fine World War I collection. The society has 300 feet of railroad track and a caboose with Enosburgh railroad memorabilia inside. Enosburgh is known for its farming, and the museum has a small farm collection. A log cabin is located on the park with period furnishings.

Hours and Admission: June - October:  Saturday, 10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m., or by appointment. Free. Accessible to the disabled.

Fairfax Historical Society

Museum, 1181 Main Street, Fairfax
Mailing Address: PO Box 145, Fairfax, VT 05454
Website: www.vtgrandpa.com/fhs
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Contact:  Michael R. Cain, President

The building that houses the society's museum has a history of its own. Built in 1807, the original town hall, a one-room school, and the casket showroom for the Hayes-Rich Funeral Home is now home to artifacts of Fairfax's history. Artifacts include tools, clothing, photos, and much more.

Hours and Admission: July & August : Sundays 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm; Sept. 19 - Oct. 10, Sundays 2:00 pm -4:00 pm, or by appointment. Admission free. Accessible to the disabled.

Fairfield Historical Society

The society has a collection of the history of Fairfield. The birthplace of Chester A. Arthur, twenty-first president of the United States, is located in our town.

Hours and Admission:

Franklin Historical Society

Log Cabin Museum, Hanna Road, Franklin, VT
Contact: Susan Clark, President,  (802) 285-6472 or Brian Rainville, Curator, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The society has a collection of locally made antique furniture and textiles displayed  in a circa 1878 log cabin.  New exhibits are mounted each season to highlight important segments of our community's cultural, economic, and social history. A small display space is also maintained in the town clerk's office in the Haston Library building. The society was founded in 1957 and published A History of Franklin in 1989. Significant repairs to the log cabin were begun in 2003 with financial support from the Preservation Trust of Vermont, the Freeman Foundation, and the Town of Franklin.

Hours and Admission:   Community holidays and by appointment.

Georgia Historical Society

Brick Museum, Georgia Center
Gordon's Mill Ag Museum, Georgia Plain
Georgia Library, US Rte 7 @ I-89 Exit 18
Mailing Address: PO Box 2072, Georgia, VT 05468
Phone: 802-524-6311
Contact: Colin Conger, President

The society has two museum locations, and a library for photos and genealogy resources. The Brick School Museum exhibits life of people in Georgia at various times in history. The Gordon's Mill Agricultural Museum features tools and wagons used on earlier Georgia farms. The library has over 5,000 photos with captions, genealogical books, and local family genealogy sources.

Hours and Admission:

Grand Isle Historical Society

Hyde Log Cabin & Corners Schoolhouse, US Route 2, Grand Isle, VT
Mailing Address: PO Box 23, Grand Isle, VT 05458
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Phone: 802-372-4058
Contact: Jan DeSarno, President

The Hyde Log Cabin, circa 1784, is the oldest in New England, with furniture, clothing, and artifacts attractively arranged as a home setting. There are two glass display cases to view small items and books. The schoolhouse, also known as the "Block Schoolhouse," was built in 1814 of squared-off (blocked) logs. The cabin and schoolhouse are on U.S. Route 2 adjacent to the Grand Isle Elementary School, and are open to visitors during the hours listed below. Docent Charlene Southwick is in attendance to welcome visitors.

Hours and Admission: Memorial Day - Columbus Day: Thursday - Monday, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm; closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Adults $2, under 14 free. Accessible to the disabled.

Highgate Historical Society

Isle La Motte Historical Society

1840 Schoolhouse, 19th-century Blacksmith Shop, and 19th-century Log Cabin
Main Street and Quarry Road, Isle La Motte, VT
Mailing Address: PO Box 18, Isle La Motte, VT 05463
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Phone: 802-928-3077
Contact: Gloria McEwen, Curator

The society's local history museum is in an 1840 schoolhouse. Next to it is a 19th-century blacksmith shop, originally located in the center of town, and a 19th-century log cabin that was moved to the site and renovated. The museum contains many items of local interest including photographs, family records, Native American artifacts, blacksmith tools, and textiles. Isle La Motte is also home to the oldest fossilized reef in the world.

Hours and Admission: Museum, July and August: Saturday, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm, or by appointment. Free. Accessible to the disabled.

Montgomery Historical Society

Pratt Hall, VT Route 118, Montgomery Village, VT
Mailing Address: PO Box 47, Montgomery, VT 05470
Website: www.montgomeryvt.us/mhs.htm
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Contact: Scott Perry, Chairman

The society is located in Pratt Hall, a former Episcopal church (built in 1835), which houses its collections of photographs, albums, tools, and items of local interest. Activities include historical speakers programs and summer concerts. Pratt Hall is renowned for its stained glass windows.

Hours and Admission: by appointment. Free. Accessible to the disabled.

North Hero Historical Society

The society's museum, The Hookenspoon, is located in the center of North Hero Village, overlooking beautiful City Bay. It is a large three-story home built in 1890 that was originally used as a summer fishing camp. The museum contains rotating displays of North Hero artifacts that include ephemera, household, railroad, fishing, school, local government, and family items. Located outside is the newly renovated Dorwaldt Barn, which houses our collection of tools and farming implements.

Hours and Admission: July - Labor Day: Saturday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm; Sunday, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm or by appointment.

Richford Historical Society & Museum

Old Richford Fire House Museum, Lower Main Street, Richford, VT
Mailing Address: PO Box 606, Richford, VT 05476
Phone: 802-933-6622
Contact: Marion Kittell, Treasurer

Many early Richford newspapers are on microfilm at the Richford Library. Artifacts include photographs, documents, calendars, World Warr II posters, Richford advertising, and much more.

Hours and Admission: July - September: first and third Saturday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, or by appointment.

Saint Albans Historical Society

Museum, Corner 9 Church Street, Saint Albans, VT
Mailing Address: PO Box 722, Saint Albans, VT 05478
Website: www.stamuseum.com
Email: stamuseum.history@myfairpoint.net
Phone: 802-527-7933
Contact:  A. J. McDonald, Director

Museum has twelve rooms of displays in a three-story brick building (a school house) constructed in 1861. The first two floors are dedicated to exhibits about the Central Vermont Railway, history of the Champlain Valley, and St. Albans (as portrayed by a large diorama), a school room, a medical history exhibit, a home and hearth room, an exhibit concerning the Western Abenaki, a military history room, and a room dedicated to local musician Sterling Weed. The third floor contains the Robert G. Bliss Memorial Hall, which is used for community events. In this museum you will also find a research room full of wonderful information.

Hours and Admission: Mid May - Mid October, Tuesday - Friday, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm, Saturday 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, or by appointment. Admission fee: $5.00 for adults, children 6-14 $2.00. Hall is accessible to the disabled.

Swanton Historical Society

Museum in historic, restored railroad depot. Batchelder photograph collection, Swanton Couriers 1870s - 1950s. Circa 1937 Toll House, Circa 1903 CV Caboose.  Extensive photograph, document & artifact collection. Meeting room fully accessible.

Hours and Admission: May 1 - mid-October: Tuesday - Saturday, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. or by appointment.