1941 Film Gives Insights into State Guard Training

Premiere Showing of Digitized Film

Tuesday, August 17, 2010 ♦ 6:30 pm

Grace Bible Church, Moscow, VT

STOWE, VT–Fred Pond was working with the film collection at the Vermont Historical Society in Barre when he uncovered a canister marked, “Montpelier - Silent.”  Inside was a 16mm color film of about 45 minutes in length.  When Pond looked more closely, he discovered the film was more than a film featuring Montpelier.  The film turned out to be a silent documentary showing the Vermont State Guard during World War II.

Pond’s discovery of this rare VSG footage brings to light, in stunning color, many of the WWII training exercises and public events which showcased the VSG. Because of Pond’s efforts, the rare footage has recently been digitized. It depicts VSG exercises in locations such as Montpelier, Waterbury, Moscow, Berlin, Worcester and Tunbridge.

With support from a number of donors, Vermont Historical Society was able to transfer the film into a digital format. The digitized version will premiere in a free public showing at the annual meeting of the Stowe Historical Society, August 17th, at the Grace Bible Community Church at 6:30 pm, with Pond and Brian Lindner as commentators. Reservations are appreciated and may be made at 802-253-8428 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Digitization of this film was supported by The National Life Group, the Waterbury Historical Society and many other contributors. The Vermont Historical Society Film Digitization Project has been supported by the John M. Bissell Foundation.

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Vermont Historical Society Annual Meeting & Conference

September 25, 2010

Pavilion Building, 109 State Street, Montpelier, VT

Stay tuned for details!

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