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.

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 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

 

Farewell, Eric Charlton, Former Innkeeper, Rabbit Hill Inn

The Waterford Historical Society offers its condolences to Beryl Charlton and the many other family members and friends mourning the March 10 death of Eric Charlton. Beryl and Eric together owned and managed the Rabbit Hill Inn in Waterford for a wonderfully long and joyful time, 1980-1987. They also gave the community the gift of their presence at the Rabbit Hill Reunion in 2018; you can view the video here.

View the full obituary here.

Other notes here on the Rabbit Hill Inn and its history: click here.

The inn's own description of its history: click here.

"Catching the Stories": Video and Audio Records of Our Oral History

At the Hastings School, 1932, courtesy of Vivian Davis.

The "Oral History Team" of the Waterford Historical Society has been working hard in 2016! Recording interviews with our older residents is a high priority for us, so we can all keep listening and learn more about our town's past.

With the help of a skilled Lyndon State College graduate, this summer the interview files have been placed on YouTube so everyone can watch them. There are already three that show the interviews in action, and a fourth one (of Elizabeth Rudd Knights) that provides the sound, with just a pair of photos. We'll add more photos to this when we can; there is also an interview with Vivian Davis coming soon.

Please take a look-and-listen: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy9FgZlEppAaGZwS9pqKg5A

And think about what you might like to share about your own connections with Waterford, Vermont!