Contact Information
Phone:
802-226-7807
Mailing Address:
PO Box 472, Cavendish, VT 05142
Museum Location: Main
Street, Cavendish Village
The Cavendish Historical Society Museum is open on Sundays,
from 2-4 pm, from May 25 to October 12. Appointments can be made at other times
using the contact information above.
May 24 (Saturday): Free
Workshop- Learn to Clean Head Stones. 10 am . Cavendish Cemetery High Street,
Cavendish Village. Registration required-call 802-226-7807 or e-mail
margoc@tds.net
May 25 (Sunday):
Museum Opens. Part 1 Vermont Movie: A
Very New Idea. Screening begins at 2 pm: A Very New Idea explores the roots
from which the future state of Vermont grew. Samuel de Champlain steps into a
canoe, paving the way for Yankee immersion into native culture. We look at
early settlement, native peoples’ resistance, and the little-known history of
African American settlers. Pioneer rebel Ethan Allen leads the struggle for
independence, resulting in Vermont’s radical constitution- the first to outlaw
slavery. Finally, Vermont’s heroic role in the Civil War reminds us that,
despite occasional missteps, Freedom & Unity— Vermont’s state
motto—continues to chart the state’s course into the present.
June 8 (Sunday): Proctorsville/Cavendish Reunion: A group of former and current
residents are holding a reunion, from noon to 5 pm at the Cavendish Town
Elementary School in Proctorsville. A pot luck supper begins at 12:30. Please bring photos to share with your classmates and
others. FMI: John Snarski jl312@myfairpoint.netor Terry Heikkinen hunterslilsis@yahoo.com
June 15 (Sunday):
Part 2 Vermont Movie Under the Surface. Screening begins at 2 pm. Part Two deepens the
journey, digging beneath the surface of Vermont’s bucolic image to explore
labor wars, eugenics experiments, the McCarthy era, and progressive
Republicanism. Covering over a century—from pre-Civil War to 2009—it chronicles
the rise of unions and quarry work, Barre’s Socialist Labor Party Hall, the
marketing of Vermont, the state’s reaction to New Deal policies, George Aiken's
gentle populism, and Republican Ralph Flanders’ heroic stand against Joe
McCarthy during the Red Scare. Emigrés from urban areas, “back-to-the-landers”
like Helen and Scott Nearing and filmmaker Nora Jacobson’s father, Nicholas
Jacobson, came to Vermont in search of an alternative lifestyle.
June 29 (Sunday):
Part 3 Vermont Movie Refuge, Reinvention
and Revolution: Screening begins at 2 pm. In the mid-20th
century, political pioneers like Bill Meyer, a Congressman who challenged the
Cold War, and Governor Phil Hoff, whose 1962 victory set the stage for historic
change, rose to take the lead in state politics. Innovation was everywhere: in
the work of “talented tinkerers” like Snowflake Bentley and Thaddeus Fairbanks,
in the rise of IBM, and in the creation of the Interstate highways. We see the
pros and cons of the highways--the high price of “eminent domain.” Revolution
was in the air—rare archival footage provides a vivid look at the
"hippies," the realities of communal life and the paths of members of
the counter-culture who established roots in Vermont. Who changed whom?
July 13 (Sunday):
Part 4 Vermont Doers and Shapers Screening begins at 2 pm. Part Four
explores the people and institutions that push boundaries. Starting with
education, we take an engrossing journey through the philosophy of John Dewey,
leading to the hands-on style of Goddard College, the Putney School, and the
inseparable connection between education and democracy. We explore other
progressive movements: Vermont’s famous Billboard law and Act 250, cultural
movements such as Bread and Puppet Theater and finally Vermont’s groundbreaking
civil union law. Democracy at work— differing voices, different points of view.
July 26 (Saturday):
Town Wide Tag Sale 9-3 pm. Museum Grounds in Cavendish.
August 10 (Sunday):
Part 5: Ceres’ Children: Screening begins at 2 pm. Part Five takes a deeper look at some of Vermont’s
cherished traditions: participatory democracy and the conservation ethic, from
the ideas of George Perkins Marsh, one of America’s first environmentalists, to
contemporary volunteer groups and activist movements. The film captures 21st century
debates over natural resources, then circles back in time to show how these
concerns originate in the ethics of farmers, who depended on the natural world
for their survival. The disappearance of dairy farms has raised a tough
question: how big is too big? How can Vermont survive in a world economy? Can
Vermont be a model for small, local and self-sufficient farming?
Aug 31 (Sunday): Part 6 (Flood anniversary): Screening begins at 2 pm. Part Six tackles contemporary tensions over energy,
independence, the environment and the state’s future. Chronicling the struggle
to close the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, it reveals the power of protest, the
influence of lobbyists and the importance of town meeting debate and a citizen
legislature. It follows the battle over windmills in Lowell—a struggle over
scale, aesthetics and environmental impacts—and explores thorny questions about
economics, sovereignty and climate change. Finally, the devastating impacts of
Hurricane Irene reveal the power not only of nature, but of people and
community. Lots of interviews of
Cavendish residents in the Irene recovery segment.
Sept 14 (Sunday):
Phineas Gage Walk and Talk
Oct. 12 (Sunday):
Last day the Museum is open-Annual Cemetery Tour.
