The Cavendish Historical Society's accepts tax-deductible contributions to help preserve our history. You can reach us at margocaulfield@icloud.com 802-226-7807 or PO Box 472 Cavendish, VT 05142 The CHS Museum is located at 1958 Main Street (Route 131) in Cavendish.
May 29 (Saturday): Annual Plant Sale from 8:30-Noon. Early bird
sale on Friday May 28 from 6-7 pm.
May 30 (Sunday): Museum opens for the season-Covid dependent-on
Sundays from 2-4
June 19 (Saturday): Midsummer Night’s Eve Cavendish Village Ghost
Walk. Meet at the Museum at 8 pm.
July 31 (Saturday): 11th Annual Cavendish Town Wide Tag
Sale. 9-2.
September 12 (Sunday): Annual Phineas Gage Walk & Talk, meet at
the CHS Museum at 2 pm. Walk portion if about a mile and a half and includes a
visit to the site of the accident.
BETWEEN TWO MILLSTONES: EXILE IN AMERICA
1978-1994:
The recent translation of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s autobiography covers the
time he lived in Cavendish while exiled from Russia. CHS has received a
generous donation from Pieter van Schaik: Having just completed reading
Between Two [Millstones] I am eager to contribute to an effort to get
local residents to actually read this book. His donation is meant to
enable the CHS to acquire and distribute copies to interested individuals …and
request each reader relay their thoughts about the book to you upon reading it
so that the local feedback will become part of the historic record.
CHS has copies of the book to share with
locals who wish to read it and comment on it. To obtain a copy, please e-mail margocaulfield@icloud.com or call 802-226-7807.
CHS
CARES CLOSET: If
you or someone you know would like to receive items from the closet, but can’t
get there, e-mail
margocaulfield@icloud.com or call 802-226-7807 with your requests for
books, puzzles, craft projects, hands on history kits, masks etc. All items
will be placed on the porch, mail box or a designated spot. If you have items
you’d like to donate to the Closet, please call 802-226-7807 or e-mail margocaulfield@icloud.com
COVID-19: CHS continues
to collects items, stories etc. associated with the pandemic for archival
purposes. If you have something you would like to donate, please contact us.
Donations for CHS can
be sent to CHS, PO Box 472, Cavendish, VT 05142. Checks should be payable to
the Cavendish Historical Society.
Below is the
Carmine Guica Young Historians Update for the upcoming month. For more
information or assistance, please e-mail margocaulfield@icloud.com or call 802-226-7807.
TALK: EPIDEMICS/PANDEMICS: All of this has happened before and
will happen again. As noted by Marcus Aurelius,—the same plot from beginning
to end, the identical staging. However, when you are in the midst of a
pandemic, it feels as if it’s never happened before(it most likely hasn’t happened to you
before) and it provokes fear, civil unrest, as well significant changes
following the event.
Okemo Valley TV
and the Cavendish Historical Society are jointly sponsoring a zoom talk on Jan.
27 (Wed) at 7 pm, which will cover the origins of pandemics/epidemics, their
impact on history, including Vermont’s, common characteristics, and the lasting
changes that have occurred with past events. For those interested in signing up
for the talk on Jan 27 at 7pm, go to the Okemo Valley (OVTV) TV web link to register and
obtain the information needed to join the Zoom talk. It can also be watched at
the OVTV uTube page.
If you’d like a
program for a zoom class, that can easily be arranged.
THE SHORTEST
MONTH OF THE YEAR:
February is the shortest month of the year, but for some it may seem the longest
as we hold our breath for spring. It’s
an interesting month as it honors African American History, Valentine’s Day as
well as Presidents Washington and Lincoln.
We have plaster
hearts for children to decorate (see attached photo) if you’d like some for
your students, either contact us at the address above or pick them up at the
CHS Cares Cabinet (next to the steps of the Historical Society Museum).
AFRICAN
AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH RESOURCES
The history of African American/Black History Month traces
back to 1915, when the “Father of Black History Month,” Dr. Carter G. Woodson,
founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which is now
known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History
(ASALH). The first Negro History Week in February
1926. Additionally, February was chosen in recognition of the birthdays of two
celebrated supporters of African American citizens, Abraham Lincoln – the 16th
President of the United States, and Frederick Douglass – an orator, writer, and
abolitionist.
• African American History Month: Includes resources from The
Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National
Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service,
Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Teacher Resources
Dates of
significance in February that pertain to African American history: Frederick Douglas was born in Feb. 1818.
The exact date of his birth is unknown.
• Feb. 1, 1960:
Lunch counter sit in by four African American students at a lunch counter
inside a Woolworth’s store in Greensboro, NC. The scene was repeated over the
next few days, with protests spreading to other southern states, resulting in
the eventual arrest of over 1,600 persons for participating in sit-ins. The Moment When Four Students Sat Down to Take a Stand
• Feb 3, 1870:
The 15th Amendment to the Constitution is ratified guaranteeing the
right of citizens to vote, regardless of race, color, or previous condition of
servitude. Unfortunately, these rights did not extend to women, who gained the
right to vote in 1920 when the 20th Amendment was ratified.
• Feb. 21,
1965: Former Black Muslim leader Malcolm X (1925-1965) was shot and killed
while delivering a speech in a ballroom in New York City.
• Feb. 22,
1956: In Montgomery, Alabama, 80 participants in the three-month-old bus
boycott voluntarily gave themselves up for arrest after an ultimatum from white
city leaders. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks were among those arrested.
Later in 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court mandated desegregation of the buses. TheMontgomery bus boycott and the women who made it possible.
• Feb. 23, 1868: African American educator and leader W.E.B.
Du Bois (1868-1963) was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
HISTORICAL
DATES FOR FEBRUARY
Feb. 2:
Groundhog Day:Since
a groundhog (or woodchuck or "whistle pig") hibernates for the
winter, its coming out of the ground is a natural sign of spring. In Europe
centuries ago, people watched for other hibernating animals, including badgers,
bears, and hedgehogs, as signs of winter's end. Germans who immigrated to
Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s began keeping an eye on the groundhog, hence Punxsutawney Phil and the annual
prediction from Gobbler’s Knob.
How often is
Punxsutawney Phil accurate? According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, which analyzed Phil's predictions from 2008 to 2018, he was
right only 40% of the time.
There’s a grain of truth to this as winter days when you can
see your shadow clearly are often especially cold because there are no clouds
overhead to insulate the earth.
Early February is midway between the winter solstice and the
spring equinox. In England this date is often referred to as Candlemas Day.
Traditionally this was the day candles were brought to church for a blessing.
This was thought to ward off plague, illness and famine.
If Candlemas Day be fair and bright
Winter will have another fight
If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain,
Winter won’t come again.
Feb. 7,
1812: Charles Dickens
was born. He examined social inequalities through his works including; David
Copperfield, Oliver Twist, and Nicholas Nickleby. In 1843, he wrote A Christmas
Carol in just a few weeks, an enormously popular work even today.
Feb 15, 1820: Susan B. Anthony was born. A pioneer
in women's rights, she worked tirelessly for woman's suffrage (right to vote)
and in 1872 was arrested after voting (illegally) in the presidential election.
She was commemorated in 1979 with the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin, thus became
the first American woman to have her image on a U.S. coin. The National Susan
B. Anthony Museum & House
February 24,
1582 - Pope Gregory
XIII corrected mistakes on the Julian calendar by dropping 10 days and
directing that the day after October 4, 1582 would be October 15th. The
Gregorian, or New Style calendar, was then adopted by Catholic countries,
followed gradually by Protestant and other nations.
January: Pandemics/Epidemics: We are working with Okemo Valley TV to arrange
for a Zoom workshop. Date will be posted shortly and will most likely be the
week of January 25th.
May 29 (Saturday): Annual Plant Sale from 8:30-Noon. Early bird
sale on Friday May 28 from 6-7 pm.
May 30 (Sunday): Museum opens for the season-Covid dependent-on
Sundays from 2-4
June 19 (Saturday): Midsummer Night’s Eve Cavendish Village Ghost
Walk. Meet at the Museum at 8 pm.
July 31 (Saturday): 11th Annual Cavendish Town Wide Tag
Sale. 9-2.
September 12 (Sunday): Annual Phineas Gage Walk & Talk, meet at
the CHS Museum at 2 pm. Walk portion if about a mile and a half and includes a
visit to the site of the accident.
CAVENDISH MYSTERY: January can be a rather chilling month so what
better time to explore, and possibly solve, some Cavendish history mysteries.
Anyone in the community that is
interesting in doing some history sleuthing, can participate in the following
ways:
Solve a town mystery: Cavendish has aspects of town history that we
want to get to the bottom of. Several projects include:
• Is it legend
or fact that the “potter’s field” in Hilcrest Cemetery was dug up during the
1930s (Depression era) and turned into a potato field?
• Who was
murdered on the grounds that are now occupied by the Proctorsville Fire Dept?
When did it occur?
Design an “Escape Room” for Cavendish.
If you are not familiar, here’s a brief description, On
the day the Peters Township Public Library in McMurray, Pennsylvania, was
supposed to unveil a superhero-themed escape room, the library had to close its
doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. With no physical location to work with,
librarian Sydney Krawiec started to devise an alternative: a digital escape
room created in Google Forms. In the space of four hours, she made
a Harry Potter-themed
game that sent
participants through a series of challenges based on locations from the book
series, and they had to find their way out by solving puzzles. The Google Form
went viral. And after other librarians saw it, they decided to make their own. This
is a fun activity for the whole family and there are now lots of them for free
to do on-line.
Do you have a town history mystery you’d
like to see solved? If so, please e-mail or call and we’ll help
you work on it.
•
Carmine Guica Young Historians Update:Includes
information for remote learners, teachers, parents etc. Contains a lot of
historical information and resources for the month ahead.
This month we begin planning for a mock
town meeting. Students will discuss and decide what items will
be included in the “warning.” In February, a “warning,” will be distributed to
the students along with the date and time of“town meeting. In March, we will be holding a mock town meeting for the
students, which like most of VT, will be conducted by Zoom.
CHS
CARES CLOSET: If
you or someone you know would like to receive items from the closet, but can’t
get there, e-mail
margocaulfield@icloud.com or call 802-226-7807 with your requests for
books, puzzles, craft projects, hands on history kits, masks etc. All items
will be placed on the porch, mail box or a designated spot. If you have items
you’d like to donate to the Closet, please call 802-226-7807 or e-mail
margocaulfield@icloud.com
Special thanks to our incredible volunteers Svetlana, Kem, and Ana who decorated the Museum, Stone Church, War Memorial and Closet for the Holidays.
COVID-19: CHS continues
to collects items, stories etc. associated with the pandemic for archival
purposes. If you have something you would like to donate, please contact us.
Donations for
CHS can be sent to CHS, PO Box 472, Cavendish, VT 05142. Checks should be
payable to the Cavendish Historical Society.
January can
feel like such a letdown after all the activities of the holidays, so this
January, CHS is introducing something new:
THE
CAVENDISH MYSTERY
Students,
teachers, parents or anyone in the community that is interesting in doing some
history sleuthing, can participate in the following ways:
1. Solve a
town mystery: Cavendish
has aspects of town history that we want to get to the bottom of. Several
projects include:
a.Is
it legend or fact that the “potter’s field” in Hilcrest Cemetery was dug up
during the 1930s (Depression era) and turned into a potato field?
b.Who
was murdered on the grounds that are now occupied by the Proctorsville Fire
Dept? When did it occur?
2. Design
an “Escape Room” for Cavendish.
If you are not familiar, here’s a brief description, On
the day the Peters Township Public Library in McMurray, Pennsylvania, was
supposed to unveil a superhero-themed escape room, the library had to close its
doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. With no physical location to work with,
librarian Sydney Krawiec started to devise an alternative: a digital escape
room created in Google Forms. In the space of four hours, she made a Harry Potter-themed game that sent participants through a series
of challenges based on locations from the book series, and they had to find
their way out by solving puzzles. The Google Form went viral. And after other
librarians saw it, they decided to make their own. This is a fun activity for the whole
family and there are now lots of them for free to do on-line.
3. Do you
have a town history mystery you’d like to see solved? If so, please e-mail or call and we’ll
help you work on it.
TOWN MEETING
While Town
Meeting Day in Vermont isn’t until March 2, activities begin in January to
prepare for this event. Towns will be putting together a budget for both school
and town, along with any items that will be voted on that day. This includes
election of Select board members, town offices etc.
To help
students learn more about this process, we will be holding a zoom town meeting
in March, similar to what towns across VT will be doing this year. Thirty days
prior to the Zoom mock town meeting in March, students will receive the
“warning” so they can discuss and “research” to help them decide on the issues.
January is when we come up with items to include in the “warning.”
HISTORICAL
DATES FOR JANUARY
January 1:
Happy New Year! The
most celebrated holiday around the world
• 1863: Lincoln
signed the Emancipation Proclamation which freed the slaves
Note the
following: The Emancipation proclamation was not enforceable but as Union
troops moved through the South, they brought the news of emancipation
with them and the ability to enforce the order through military might. Further
encouraged by the proclamation, large numbers of slaves freed themselves.
On June 19, 1865, US Brigadier General Gordon Granger and
his troops landed at Galveston, Texas confirming the news that the Civil War
had ended and that enslaved African Americans were now free. Prior to Granger’s
arrival, the US military presence in Texas was too weak to enforce President
Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. Two months after General Lee’s
surrender in Virginia, Union forces were strong enough to act as a liberating
force for enslaved African Americans throughout the state. This became known as
Juneteenth.
The 13th
Amendment, which abolished slavery was ratified on Dec. 6, 1865.
Slavery was not
abolished until the summer of 1866. As the five tribes that were driven in the
Trail of Tears, continued the practice of slavery.
Other events on
this date include: The establishment of the United Nations in 1942
January 6:
Feast of the three Kings,
which officially ends the 12 Days of Christmas
January 11:
Alexander Hamilton is born in the British West Indies. While the film version of the Broadway
play Hamilton is available from Disney+, a special website has been set up for teachers
and students-Teaching History with Hamilton
January 15:
Martin Luther King was born in 1929
• The King Center: The King Library and Archives in Atlanta is the largest
repository of primary source materials on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the
American Civil Rights Movement in the world.
January 20:
Inauguration Day:Teaching Tolerance has a webpage on how to discuss this
presidential inauguration in view of such a controversial presidency and
transition.
