Preserving "the best-known small town in America"
Putney Historical Society by Nancy Olson Elka Leigh Scott Schumann, (1935 – 2021) is perhaps best known in Vermont as the co-founder with her husband Peter Schumann of Bread and Puppet Theater, located in the town of Glover, in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. But she also has some interesting ties to the town of Putney. First, some background on … Read more
Planning for the future of the PHS collection by Carolyn Handy What’s in the PHS collection? Papers? Paintings? Textiles? Tools? The answer is: all of those and more. Two of many goals of the society are that the public will be able to see displays of the collection in person, as well as online. In … Read more
by Tim Ragle and Tom Jamison Earlier this spring Robert Allard generously gave a collection of historical records related to Putney’s history to the Putney Historical Society. Robert’s great grandfather, Russell H. Braley, a farmer in Putney, was a district commissioner for School District No. 4. He collected taxes for schools and recorded information on … Read more
Click here for The Washburns in Putney – Chapter 2. Chapter 2 is Bill Darrow’s second installment on the Washburn family traces the fortunes of the large family as many children spread from Vermont across the country. Their mother/stepmother Patty returned to Putney with seven young children during a time of religious and social turmoil … Read more
Help Us Update Putney’s History It’s now been nearly 70 years since the Fortnightly Club published a history of Putney for its Bicentennial. In 1953 there was no official way to name a location other than by the name of the property owner. As there are fewer and fewer people around who knew those residents … Read more
Amongst the hundreds of photographs in the PHS collection, taken in the late 19th- and early 20th centuries, are photos of families and friends gathered on the porches and front yards of Putney’s homes. These photos are a snapshot in time of residents, some identified and many not, throughout our community. PHS is hoping to … Read more
Across the world people have been struggling with the Covid-19 virus, living and dying with it. The age of Covid-19 has raised the question of how Putney has fared during similar crises in the past. Colonial America was rife with disease that carried off many. Although Europeans were often immune from serious symptoms of diseases … Read more
by William B Darrow Using the U.S. Census, public records, old maps, newspaper reports, and books, this paper traces the Blood family (and West Hill) history from 1782 to the early 1900s. A little over 50 years ago when I was a boy growing up on West Hill in Putney, my father took my brothers … Read more
Enjoy a springtime walk around Putney with this beautifully illustrated guide to Putney’s Pre-Civil War Architecture. The guide features 21 buildings in the downtown, Kimball Hill and Westminster Road area. The guide includes a numbered map, original drawings by local artists and a short history of each building. Historic Walking Tour Brochure.