Trivia Fun for the 250th

By Eileen Corcoran, Director of Service and Outreach. Image: Trivia at St. Johnsbury Athenaeum (photo courtesy of St. Johnsbury Athenaeum) 

Almost 10 years ago, we started our Vermont History Trivia program as a traditional, pub-style offering. It was a wonderful success, and from there, we expanded it to include trivia kits that local historical societies, libraries, and other groups could use to hose their own events. It was going swimmingly until COVID hit. We pivoted (what now seems like naturally) to virtual trivia offerings. These ended up also being extremely popular, opening up the game to new audiences far and wide.

While our trivia kits remained available the entire time, we thought the 250th anniversary of the U.S. represented a fantastic opportunity to take the show back out on the road. This time, we put the call out to our local history friends far and wide looking for potential hosts. We thought maybe we’d get five organizations to sign up, but the response was beyond what we'd hoped: we ended up scheduling events at 18 different locations over the course of 9 months.  

For this special offering, we also created all new trivia rounds related to 250th topics, including rounds focused on Ethan Allen and colonial life. Over the years, we have created almost 400 trivia questions, and many of our partners have created their own local history questions.  

Image: Trivia at Tunbridge Public Library 

The trivia events this year were as varied as the communities they represented. We kicked things off on a snowy afternoon in February at the Tunbridge Public Library with delightful refreshments and a few “ringers” in the group. Our largest event was in Warren in partnership with the Warren Historical Society & Warren Library as part of their regular trivia night offering. Held just before the annual Warren July 4th festivities, this lively group are still talking about the program whenever they see VHS staff around town.  

Our goals for trivia include a little bit of learning about Vermont’s varied history, but also a chance to build community around our shared past. From family groups to cross-town rivalries to a team that came together because they all happened to share the same first name, we saw the way that connections to the trivia questions led to discussion and sharing of anecdotes, both personal and profound.  

Trivia players at Ferrisburgh Town Hall with Rokeby Museum, Union Meeting Hall, & Ferrisburgh Historical Society (photo courtesy of Rokeby Museum) 

While our special 250th trivia programs are at an end, there are still ways you can bring Vermont History trivia to your community. You can order one of our trivia kits, with different options for kit type and questions. You can also download our special 250th Vermont History Trivia Family Edition. This edition is specifically formatted to be more user friendly for audiences of all ages.

The 250th anniversary year might be coming to a close, but stay tuned for more Vermont History trivia in the future! 

In the meantime, test your knowledge with our mini quiz!