Preserving "the best-known small town in America"
Putney Historical Society The Putney Historical Society recently received a donation of a boot warmer that was made in Putney during the early 20th century. The boot warmer was donated by John Anderson of Dummerston. A fragmentary label indicates it was made in Putney but lacks any other information. The item is clearly handmade, possibly from scraps of … Read more
An historic photograph from the Putney Historical Society’s collection has been included in Ken Burns’ new book Our America: A Photographic History. The photograph shows a tug-of-war taking place around 1900. Learn more>
by Lyssa Papazian Last July, the Putney Historical Society signed a 25-year lease with the town for use of the upstairs of the historic 1871 town hall (now unused due to inaccessibility and no heat, etc.). We are partnering with the town on developing and funding (raising funding) for a joint rehabilitation project. There will … Read more
In it’s early days, Windham College utilized as many as 21 pre-existing buildings in Putney for classrooms, dorms and more. Tom Jamison, with the help of Barbara Taylor and Karen Gustafson, has mapped some of them. These maps show the extent of the college’s presence in the village. Click on each map to view a … Read more
By Nancy A. Olson My journey to Windham College began with an F in eleventh grade English, my favorite subject since I first learned to read. Because I didn’t like the teacher, I decided I would show her by not doing any work. At the age of seventeen, I had a very fuzzy understanding of … Read more
By Barbara Taylor It’s Labor Day weekend, September 1965. The car is packed and my parents are driving me up to Windham College (about 500 students) in Putney, VT. We take the highway system up through Connecticut and pick up Interstate 91. We reach Greenfield, MA and have to get off, it hasn’t been finished … Read more
An excerpt from Beyond the Classroom by Bill Holiday In 1969 Windham County appointed a new Sheriff, Putney’s William ‘Bill’ Graham. He found himself ”very often being a referee between Windham College and the locals.” Graham was a one-man sheriff’s department who had some “local fellows who erroneously believed that since the sheriff lived in Putney, … Read more
We have several of the 1893 pews from the former United Church (now Next Stage) that we’d like to distribute to people interested in putting them to use. Great for hallways, porches, mudrooms or right in your living room! They come with almost new cushions. Some of the pews have two ends, some have one, … Read more
The third chapter of Bill Darrow’s book about the Washburn family explores the rift created by John Humphrey Noyes and his radical religious sect of Bible Communism. This chapter delves into the historical context of the Second Great Awakening. The Washburns in Putney – Chapter 3
The Vermont Historical Society initiated their History in the 252 project. The Putney Historical Society submitted information on John Humphrey Noyes that was included in the project website: https://vermonthistory.org/history-in-the-252. Keep an eye out for the next PHS newsletter that will include an article by Bill Darrow that continues his history of the Washburn family and … Read more