The History of Brookfield, Vermont (Brookfield, Vt.: The Society, 1987) in now available online in PDF format.
Click on the following descriptions to access the pages described.
Title page, table of contents and preface
More chapters of the electronic reproduction to come!
Hot and muggy it was, but the downpours held off last Sunday, when the 1830s Federal style Marvin Newton House, Brookfield’s historic museum, welcomed approximately 50 people for the two seatings of a Victorian tea. (Click here for the complete Randolph Herald “Victorian Tea Provided Glimpse of the Past” article.)
The Floating Bridge exhibit at the 2008 Vermont History Expo was quite a hit. There was a great crowd on Saturday and a good number of visitors on Sunday in spite of the rain. We got a lot of compliments on the display and some good press for the society. It could not have been better timing to help get the plight of the bridge (and our town) in the spotlight. (Click here for Randolph Herald “Floating Bridge is Closed to Cars” article.)
The Brookfield Historical Society presents a “Victorian Tea.” The event will take place at the Marvin Newton House on June 29, 2008, with seatings at 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. Tea and a variety of sweet and savory delicacies will be served. Carol Rogers will demonstrate the art of flower arranging during each seating. For reservations, please call 276-3105. Please join us for a glimpse of the past in the elegant setting of the Museum of the Brookfield Historical Society – $5.00 per person.
The exhibit in the Marvin Newton House this summer is a collection of antique clothing from the collection of the Hester Dwinell Estate, donated by Chris DeMatteis, which will be on display at the Victorian Tea.
Come see the Brookfield Historical Society’s exhibit on the Brookfield Floating Bridge at the Vermont History Expo on Saturday, June 21 and Sunday 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on the Tunbridge World’s Fairgrounds. For more information on the Vermont History Expo visit the website www.vermonthistory.org/expo.
The Fifth Annual Ice-Out Contest sponsored by the Brookfield Historical Society came to a conclusion on April 20th at 3:59 p.m.; three days earlier than the event occurred in 2007. The winner of the contest was Carol Topham of Brookfield, Vermont, who submitted an estimate of April 20th at 4:21 p.m.
Half of the contest proceeds of $720 will be distributed among three prize winners including the contestant with the closest time after the winning time, Carl Wright, of Brookfield, who estimated 5:00 p.m., and the contestant with the closest estimate before the winning time, Craig Smith, of Brookfield, who estimated 3:21 p.m. on April 20th.
The timing apparatus, positioned on Sunset Pond north of the Floating Bridge, was designed by engineering students in Professor Greg Wight¹s Mechtronics class at Norwich University. Ice-out occurs when a cement block secured to the apparatus plunges through the ice and stops an attached alarm clock.
The ice-out contest, in addition to benefiting the Brookfield Historical Society, is a celebration of spring and an attempt to predict the vagaries of a Vermont winter. The occurrence of ice-out three days earlier than last year suggests that global climate change is a phenomenon that cannot be charted as a straight line trajectory.
This year’s calendar highlights the children of Brookfield both past and present. These images remind us of the many joys Brookfield holds for the young.
The calendar is available at the Brookfield Town Clerk’s office, Rte. 14 Country Store & Deli (East Brookfield), Messier’s General Store (East Randolph), Cover to Cover Books (Randolph), Floyd’s Store (Randolph Center), and from any of the historical society trustees.
The Civil War dairies of Urial Abbot Clark, Jr. transcribed by Michael and Prudi Dempsey are now available online. They cover the years 1863 and 1865 while Urial Clark served in Company G of the 10th Vermont Infantry Regiment.
To access the dairies click on the following PDF file:
Urial Clark Dairies
For more information on the Tenth Regiment visit the Vermont in the Civil War Web site at
10th Vermont Infantry Regimental History.
