2024 Calendars Now Available!

The 2024 Putney Historical Society calendar is available now from the historical society and at the Putney General Store, Putney Coop and Hidden Springs Maple Store.  It features images of carriages, wagons and sleighs from the Fairchild collection of Corser photographs.

Made in Putney: A Boot Warmer

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

Historic Photo Published

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>

Putney Town Hall Building Study

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

Maps of Windham College Buildings in Putney

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

1969: The Hippies and The Rednecks in Putney

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

Pews Looking for Homes

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 Washburns in Putney – Chapter 3

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