Preserving the stories from Brattleboro's Austine School for the Deaf

By Katje Kroncke-Wisdom, VHS Intern

Colonel William Austine (Brown) lived during the nineteenth century and rose up in ranks and respectability during his life [1] and when he passed away in Brattleboro, in 1904, he specified in his will that a sum of fifty thousand dollars would go toward establishing “a hospital for the treatment of strangers and local residents with extraordinary circumstances.” [2] The Vermont Attorney General directed that the money be used to establish an institution for Deaf and Blind students: The Austine School for the Deaf, which opened its doors with sixteen students in the fall of 1912 in Brattleboro.

For over a century, the school utilized a combination of the Montessori Method, the State of Vermont Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities, and the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU) to educate deaf students from around the state, [3] and by the 1960s, the school included students from New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Later in the twentieth century, the institution adopted the Bilingual/Bicultural System, taught and built community around the use of American Sign Language, and taught English and lip reading as a second language. [4] The school placed great emphasis on higher education and career opportunities for its graduates, and many went on to continue their education at Washington DC’s Gallaudet University, a private university that specifically accommodated deaf and hard-of-hearing students, as a result. [5]

VHS Intern Katje Kroncke-Wisdom showing off items from the Austine collection in the Vermont History Center's Research and Exhibition Gallery. 

Facing declining enrollment and financial issues, the school closed its doors in 2014, and a decade later, Vermont Historical Society took possession of some of its artifact collection from throughout its history to add to its permanent collection. In the summer of 2024, VHS collections staff began investigating and organizing a group of over sixty objects. These items are heavily intersectional and present a wide range of the Austine’s history and its impact on Vermonters throughout the last century. 

As this collection refers to the history of an institution, it includes practical and symbolic objects used by the school in its history, a variety of Austine-themed merchandise, and personal items owned by its alumni.

A hand-made sign that spells out AUSTINE.

One of the most exciting objects in the group is a large, hand-painted sign that spells out “AUSTINE,” using American Sign Language hand gestures. It was made during a class taught at the school in 2001 by Chuck Baird, a founding member of the De’VIA (Deaf Visual Image Art) art movement and one of the signatories of its manifesto. [6]  This type of art is characterized by intentional expressions of the deaf experience that celebrate the Deaf Community and fight oppression of deaf and blind peoples. [7] The influences of this form of art are present in the embodied expression of letters using American Sign Language, which celebrates the community at the school using its central language.

Kroncke-Wisdom holding a printing block from the collection in the Research and Exhibition Gallery. 

Another highlight of the collection is a small group of printing blocks created by students during a printmaking art class taught at the school for a number of years. The blocks display wondrously detailed hand-carved scenes of different types. My personal favorite is one that was once used to create the cover of a yearbook for the class year of 1971-72. It is in the shape of a “T” with the school’s seal in the center and the word “ARCHER”  spelled out in American Sign Language gestures.

A pin owned by Herbert Holbrook, an alumni of the school and internationally-renowned athlete. 

The third group of objects I have enjoyed working with has been the collection of pins and patches from the internationally-renowned Deaf Olympic Cross Country skier and ski jumper, Herbert Holbrook, who graduated from the school in 1947. Through his participation in the 1975 World Games of the Deaf in Lake Placid New York, [8] he was present for the merging of the American Athletic Association for the Deaf (AAAD) and the United States Deaf Skiers Association (USDSA), the organization for American athletic representation in all international competitions [9] and therefore has pins from both, even though he was only a member of the former [10]. Holbrook competed thrice in the World Games of the Deaf (Deaflympics) in three different countries and earned fifth place almost every time. [11]  His collection of pins and patches not only tells a story of his illustrious history in competitions, but also his love of skiing as cultivated throughout his life. 

A sign used by school supporters protesting its closure in September 2014 in Montpelier. 

When the school announced its closure in the spring of 2014 [12], a group of alumni and school supporters protested its closure on the front lawn of the Vermont State Capitol in September, advocating for the visibility and rights of American Sign Language and the positive impact of the Austine School on countless lives of deaf Vermonters and their loved ones. [13] Three signs from the protest are part of the accession.

This group is highly varied and tells the complex and multi-layered story of the school, and these objects reveal their complex history and showcases the important narrative Vermont’s role in the development of Deaf education in the United States. The school’s positive impact on the lives of their students and experiences in the larger Deaf community are important stories that will now be preserved for future generations of scholars – and members of the Deaf community wanting to learn more about their history. 

Sources:

1. “William Austine Cullum’s Register . 965.” uchicago. Published Jul. 8, 2013. Accessed Aug. 7, 2024.
2. “Austine History.” Austine Alumni Foundation, Inc. Accessed Au. 7, 2024.
3. “Austine School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.” National Association of Special Education. Accessed Aug. 7, 2024
4. McDonald, Hannah. “Supporters show support for shut down school.” NBC5. Published Sept. 28, 2014. Accessed Aug. 7, 2024.
5. “Austine School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.” National Association of Special Education.
6. “De’VIA Manifesto.” Surdists United. Accessed Aug. 7, 2024.
7. “What is De’VIA.” De’VIA Curriculum. Accessed Aug. 7, 2024.
8. “Herbert Prouty Holbrook.” Deaflypics. Accessed Aug. 7, 2024.
9. “Our History - how it all started.” USDSSA. Accessed Aug. 7, 2024.
10. “Herbert P. Holbrook.” Chesmore Funeral Home. Accessed Aug. 7, 2024.
11. “USADSF Statement on the US Deaflympics Centennial Celebrations Reunion.” USADSF. Published Mar. 17, 2023. Accessed Aug. 7, 2024.
12. Weiss-Tisman, Howard. “Austine School in Vermont to close; served deaf, hard of hearing students since 1904.” The Berkshire Eagle. Published Apr. 12, 2014. Accessed Aug. 7, 2024.
13. McDonald, Hannah. “Supporters show support for shut down school.”