Monday, October 26, 2020

Waterford's Vietnam Veterans: A Vermont Archives Month Presentation


Nola Forbes presents the Vietnam veterans of Waterford, Vermont. She writes: "Here is my submission related to archives at my house.  As a DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) member, we have partnered with the Dept of Defense to distribute materials related to the 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Vietnam War.  So I have tried to reach as many Waterford vets as possible in the past few years.  The Commemoration will still be going a few more years."

Click here to watch the short video.

Thursday, October 22, 2020

The Travels of "Red" Morrison's Model: A Vermont Archives Month Presentation


One of the historians of Waterford, Vermont, was Dr. C. E. Harris, who wrote A Vermont Village to sum up his own recollections and research. The search for a missing "Red" Morrison model led to Dr. Harris's late-in-life residence. Dave Morrison tells the story.

Click here for the short video in which Dave explains.

Who Made These Waterford Models?: A Vermont Archives Month Presentation

One of four Morrison models that Waterford treasures.

Dave Morrison's grandfather William John Morrison preserved Waterford, Vermont, history through making models of local structures, and unusual and wonderful form of archiving knowledge and understanding. Dave explains the details of his grandfather's life.

Click here for this short video and discover another time.

The History of Waterford's Covered Bridge: A Vermont Archives Month Presentation

Waterford's covered bridge at the foot of Maple Street once linked Lower Waterford to Littleton, New Hampshire.

Although you may think of "archives" as made up of pieces of paper, the Waterford Historical Society's mission to preserve our history and stories also involves listening to and valuing people's memories and research. Dave Morrison explains his grandfather's handmade model of this Vermont town's long-vanished covered bridge.

Click here to watch the short video and savor your own discoveries.

Tools from the Barn at Ray-Don Rag Cow Apple Farm: A Vermont Archives Month Presentation

One of the oldest barns standing in Waterford, Vermont, today.

"Archives" usually refers to documents, but history is also maintained through talking about objects. Here Donna Rae Heath of Waterford, Vermont, presents the remaining barn from her family's farm and some of the tools she saved from its years of active use. Notice how "farming" extends also to logging on a Vermont homestead.

Click on this short video here.

More Local Waterford Vermont History from Donna Heath: A Vermont Archives Month Presentation

This photo's importance came from the truck way in the background!

Even though Donna Rae Heath created her family farm notebook to capture the history of the farm, there's a lot more to discover from her images and stories. School trips, logging, fun!

Check out this short video and enjoy two minutes of details and insight.

Donna Heath's Family Farm Notebook: A Vermont Archives Month Presentation

Photo of Donna Rae Heath's parents, in her farm notebook.

Donna Rae Heath created a notebook of photos and documents that show her family's farm, where she grew up and still resides. This is a great example of a "family archive," which can be put together easily to save and treasure history and memories.

Click here to watch this short video and enjoy stories of Waterford, Vermont, from Donna. (Video by Helen Chantal Pike.)

Waterford's Winston Pote Image in the Town Office: A Vermont Archives Month Presentation

Dave Morrison and the Winston Pote photo of Lower Waterford.

When you visit the town office in Waterford, Vermont, you enter from Maple Street. You are standing in a hallway that has doors to the town office and the post office, and a stairway up to the library. Dave Morrison, filmed in this video, describes the wall-size image of Lower Waterford mounted in the hallway, created from a photo by Winston Pote.

Click here to watch this short video and enjoy learning about this Connecticut River Valley town.

Waterford Archive Videos: Helen Pike Demonstrates the Waterford Vermont Archives

left to right: Harley Pike, Helen Pike, Robert Pike.

The Waterford Historical Society helps preserve local history through its archives. Here, Helen Chantal Pike explains how this works, and shares a treasure from her own family's past. Her father, Robert E. Pike, wrote Tall Trees and Tough Men and Spiked Boots, and other books that document and celebrate Vermont and New England history.

To watch Helen present the WHS archives, click on this short video.

Sunday, October 11, 2020

Waterford Archive Videos to Mark Vermont Archives Month


It's getting a bit chilly to meet outside in person, so our October meeting for Waterford Historical Society is a virtual version. Do you have an item in your family "archives" that you'd like to show and talk briefly about? Here's how to do it:

Beth Kanell says:

I used Zoom to make mine -- and here's how. You need Zoom on your device (computer or phone). Line up your item(s) that you want to talk about. Open Zoom and click on "New Meeting." Then click on "Record" and start talking! Try to end within 3 minutes, and press "Leave Meeting." The program will close the meeting and "convert" your meeting into an MP4 file, which is a movie file. Then you send that to me.

Another simple way: Use your cellphone to record yourself (by taking a photo with the Video option), and send me the recording.

Even simpler: Tag one of us to do this for you.

Here's my short video: https://youtu.be/r0ITM6hEfcg