Vermont Historical Society Lending Library
Era 6: Emergence of modern Vermont 1927 - Present
Kevin Dann, "From Degeneration to Regeneration: The Eugenics Survey of Vermont, 1925 - 1936" Vermont History (Vol. 59, #1): 5 - 29. This article focuses on the Eugenics Survey of Vermont established by Henry F. Perkins in 1925, its effect on Vermont, and its demise in 1936. The Eugenics Society promoted, among other things, sterilization in order to eliminate the "defective" traits of Vermont families with a focus primarily on rural Vermont families and those of Abenaki descent.
Reading level: high school - adult
Number of copies available: 2
Nancy Price Graff, The Strength of the Hills: A Portrait of a Family Farm (Boston, MA: Little Brown and Co., 1989). This biographical story portrays life on a small family farm in Vermont by describing a single day in the hard-working but prideful existence of its owners.
Reading level: middle school
Number of copies available: 4
Scott Hastings, Up in the Morning Early: Vermont Farm Families in the Thirties (Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1992). This is a wonderful piece of oral history. It is a great source for learning about Vermont's rural heritage through first-hand accounts.
Reading level: fourth - eighth grade
Number of copies available: 30
Luther B. Johnson, The '27 Flood (Randolph Center, VT: Greenhills Books, 1996). This is a true account of the statewide flood of 1927. Included are details of the flooding in the Barre/Montpelier area, the Upper Winooski Valley, the Dog River Valley, the Mad River Valley, the Richmond area, the city of Winooski, the White River Valley, the Lamoille Valley, the Memphremagog region, the Passumpsic Valley, the Wells River Valley, the Ottauquechee Valley and Windsor, the Black River Valley, Bellows Falls area, the Brattleboro area, the Missisquoi Valley, and the Otter Creek area.
Reading level: high school - adult
Number of copies available: 1
Kathryn Lasky, Sugaring Time (New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1983). The author follows a modern farm family as they use their magnificent Belgian horses to help them tap 200 maple trees, collect the sap, and haul it to the sugarhouse, where it is boiled down to make maple syrup. A fun and accurate chronicle of the maple sugaring process.
Reading level: elementary - middle school
Number of copies available: 1
Norwich University, producers, Our American Journey: Calvin Coolidge (1998). This video explores the life and times of Calvin Coolidge. Running time: 30 minutes.
Level: middle school - adult
Number of copies available: 2 videos
Mildred White Preston, Growing Up on the Farm (by Little Fellow) (Burlington, VT: Self-published, 1987). This is a sweet, true story told from the point of view of "Little Fellow," a young fawn who became separated from his mother and was raised by a Vermont family.
Reading level: kindergarten - fourth Grade
Number of copies available: 1
Gregory Sharrow, Many Cultures One People: A Multicultural Handbook about Vermont for Teachers (middlebury, VT: Vermont Folklife Center, 1992). This is an extremely useful resource, with each chapter focusing on a specific group of ethnic Vermonters. This book is crucial in helping students appreciate diversity within Vermont and hopefully, by extension, diversity in the United States.
Reading level: high school - adult
Number of copies available: 1
Gregory Sharrow and Michael Sacca, producers, The Abenaki of Vermont: A Living Culture (middlebury, VT: The Vermont Folklife Center, 2002). This video portrays the Abenaki culture today, as expressed by several individuals and families. They speak of the importance of honoring their ancestors, elders, and children, as well as the value of being connected to the land. It includes a teacher's guide of activities and additional resources. Running time: 28 minutes.
Level: middle school - adult
Number of copies available: 1 video with teacher's guide
