The Stowe Historical Society is located in historic Stowe, Vermont -- situated on the Waterbury River between Mt. Mansfield on the west and the Worcesters on the east. It boasts one of the better alluvial plains in northern Vermont. Chartered in 1763 and settled in 1794 by Oliver Luce and family, it has supported forest industries, sheep and dairy farming, recreation including some of the earliest Alpine skiing in Vermont and lodging from its earliest days to the present.
In 1955 members of some of the oldest families in Stowe and other townspeople came together to record and preserve the past, for the sake of the future. Motivating them was the fear that if they did not act, Stowe's rich historical legacy would be lost to future generations. The town was changing, people were arriving from other places to open lodges, shops and work in the developing alpine ski business on Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak. The Stowe Historical Society was founded with the help of the Vermont Historical Society. Today it is one of the state's largest not-profit repository of books, letters, journals, maps, drawings, and photographs about Stowe, Vermont and Vermont history. The collection contains artifacts brought home from the Civil War and other military involvements, farm implements, domestic items, textiles and more -- items that shed light on life in Stowe from the early 19th century to recent times. The Society was chartered in 1956.
Following the Annual Meeting in August 2012, the new slate of officers is:
Barbara Baraw, President
Wendy Parrish, V. President
Wendy Parrish, Secretary
Barbara Sorkin, Treasurer
L. Sonny Davis, Director
Patricia Haslam, Director/Genealogist
Jon Hanson, Director
Karin Gottlieb, Director
Liz Kellogg, Director
Tom & Rudi Hamilton, Director
Kermit Spaulding, Director
Kermit Spaulding, Director
Who We Are
PO Box 730
Stowe, VT 05672
802-153-1518
We are a completely volunteer organization!
Several have been with the Society for many years. For some, volunteering for the Society is a passion. We are pleased to have on board a dedicated volunteer -- Chuck Dudley, a recent semi-retired transplant from the Chicago area. He has proved to be a great addition to our team with his knowledge of technology, and doing research on properties in Stowe Center Village and the other early "villages" in town. He has presented well attended programs based on his extensive research.
Often Jan Griffiths worked alongside Chuck, as she, too, embarked on a research project about the lineage of lodging establishments in Stowe, an invaluable asset to our archives. The technology supporting this research will make your inquiries much easier to answer, and maybe even get you even MORE interested in the history.
We are also very fortunate to have Alice Dana Spencer helping to coordinate our efforts with Stowe Speaks, a project to capture as many oral histories as we can arrange, keeping their stories on CD for others to enjoy and from which to learn about our ever-changing town. She has brought with her a team of new volunteers to assist with the interviews.
There are others who work on projects, quietly in the background, doing perhaps less glamorous chores like sorting out bulging files, transcribing old journals or meeting minutes, or clipping newspaper articles. You, too, are invited to be a part of this important team. Remember to bring a friend!
We are also very fortunate to have Alice Dana Spencer helping to coordinate our efforts with Stowe Speaks, a project to capture as many oral histories as we can arrange, keeping their stories on CD for others to enjoy and from which to learn about our ever-changing town. She has brought with her a team of new volunteers to assist with the interviews.
There are others who work on projects, quietly in the background, doing perhaps less glamorous chores like sorting out bulging files, transcribing old journals or meeting minutes, or clipping newspaper articles. You, too, are invited to be a part of this important team. Remember to bring a friend!
