Middletown Springs, Vermont
The Historical Society
The Middletown Springs Historical Society collects, preserves and exhibits community history at its museum in the historic Adams House on the Green in Middletown Springs and at the Mineral Springs Park nearby on Burdock Avenue
Visit Us
The Adams House is located at 10 Park Avenue. The museum is open on Sundays, 2-4 p.m., from Memorial Day through October, and by appointment. The Historical Society presents several public events each year for educational and fundraising purposes. It also offers seasonal and ongoing exhibits. The Mineral Springs Park, located at 11 Burdock Avenue, is open to the public during daylight hours year-round.
Bicycling in Vermont, 1880-1920
Special Program at 54th Annual Meeting
The 54th Annual Meeting of the Middletown Springs Historical Society will convene at 2:00 p.m., on Sunday, September 17, at the Historical Society Building. Guest speaker UVM Professor Luis Vivanco will present his slide program, Of Wheelmen, The New Woman, and Good Roads: Bicycling in Vermont, 1880-1920. Prof. Vivanco explores the fascinating early history of the bicycle in Vermont, a new invention that generated widespread curiosity when it arrived here in the 1870s. During the 1890s, enthusiasm exploded statewide as bicycles became safer, women took to the wheel, roads improved, and retailers developed novel advertising techniques to draw in buyers. Read the full story in the September 2023 Newsletter, page 4.
Museum Open House Features Dramatic Reading of Childhood Diaries of Lucy and Hazel Grover
This year’s annual Museum Open House on Sunday, October 8, 2-4:00 p.m., features a dramatic reading of excerpts from the 1907 childhood diaries of sisters Lucy and Hazel Grover. The program also includes a gallery talk about the new exhibit, Childhood in Middletown Springs, 1850-1920, which runs through March 17.
Young actors Anya Brostek, Hubbardton, and Ellie Ruck, Middletown Springs, play the parts of Lucy and Hazel, respectively. Their performance is under the direction of Melissa Chesnut-Tangerman, a partner in Theatre in the Woods summer camp in Middletown Springs. The diaries document children’s work, education, and play—themes that run through the Childhood exhibit. Read the full story in the September 2023 Newsletter, page 5.
Website Volunteer Needed
If you can’t get enough of social media, we have a great volunteer opportunity! Our new WordPress website will benefit from additional content and updates to keep it fresh and worthy of frequent visits.
About the Website Project
Peek Inside Our Collections
UVM Professor Luis Vivanco stands beside a restored “high wheel” bike made by the Pope Manufacturing Co., Boston. It is a 56.5 inch Columbia model, patented in 1878. It belonged to the family of Dr. Emelie Perkins, well-known pediatrician in Rutland from 1950-1970. It was on display for the 54th Annual Meeting on September 17 when Professor Vivanco presented his slide program, Of Wheelmen, The New Woman, and Good Roads: Bicycling in Vermont, 1880-1920.