Vermont Historical Society Lending Library
Era 2: Settlement and statehood 1609-1791
Sheila Charles et al., From Wilderness to Fortress: Exploring the History of the Revolutionary War Site. A Resource Guide for Mount Independence State Historic Site, Orwell, Vermont (Vermont Division for Historic Preservation). This educator's guide uses archaeology, geography, history, and social studies to study and explore Mount Independence and the Revolutionary War. This resource includes hands-on activities as well as additional suggested readings.
Reading level: third - eighth grade
Number of copies available: 1
Michael T. Hahn, Ethan Allen: A Life of Adventure (Shelburne, VT: The New England Press, 1994). This is a biography of Ethan Allen that begins with his boyhood in Connecticut and tracks his adventures into Vermont, the rise of the Green Mountain Boys, and the legendary figure's later years. It is a well-written, understandable biography that will appeal particularly to middle school students.
Reading level: fifth - eighth grade
Number of copies available: 1
Miriam & Wes Herwig, ed., Jonathan Carpenter's Journal: Being the Diary of a Revolutionary Soldier and Pioneer Settler of Vermont (Randolph Center, VT: Greenhills Press, 1994). This diary chronicles the "encients," Revolutionary battles, and settlement of Vermont through the eyes of a young participant. Jonathan's experiences included soldiering, homesteading, and school teaching. His family life illustrates common colonial traditions such as multigenerational homes and deferred marriage.
Reading level: high school - adult
Number of copies available: 1
Ralph Nading Hill, Lake Champlain: Key to Liberty (Woodstock, VT: Countryman Press, 1995). The saga of Lake Champlain, from its geological origin to reflections upon options for its future, is richly presented. The wonderful illustrations serve as a useful resource for teaching young people. It is well-researched and well-written and may serve as interesting fare for the curious, background information for those desiring "the big picture," or a source for specific research.
Reading level: high school - adult
Number of copies available: 1
Seth Hubbell, A Narrative of the Sufferings of Seth Hubbell and Family (First edition published by author in 1824. Current edition: Bennington, VT: Vermont Heritage Press, 1986). This is a unique firsthand account of the challenges and hardships that Seth Hubbell and his family encountered when they left Norwalk, Connecticut in 1789 for the unsettled territory of Wolcott, Vermont. His recollections offer fascinating insights into the everyday existence of the people who pioneered the settlement of Vermont in the eighteenth century.
Reading level: sixth grade - adult
Number of copies available: 21
Stuart Murray, The Honor of Command: General Burgoyne's Saratoga Campaign (Bennington, VT: Images from the Past, 1998). This is the story of British General John Burgoyne's Saratoga Campaign from his perspective, and how it progressed from June 1777 to his defeat on October 17, 1777. This defeat and surrender at Saratoga by the British was a turning point in the American Revolution.
Reading level: middle school - adult
Number of copies available: 1
Perspectives 76 (Hanover, NH: Regional Center for Educational Training, 1975). This comprehensive teacher resource is a gold mine of information, documents, facts, anecdotes, projects, crafts, destinations, maps, illustrations, bibliographies, and resources to recreate the everyday experience as well as the historical events of Vermont and New Hampshire from the late 1700s to the early 1800s.
Reading level: high school - adult
Number of copies available: 5
*Many of the projects are for younger students: some directions are appropriately readable.
Michael Sherman, ed., A More Perfect Union: Vermont Becomes a State, 1777-1816 (Montpelier, VT: Vermont Historical Society & Vermont Statehood Bicentennial Commission, 1991). This collection of documents from, and essays about, the statehood period adds much to the readers' view of contributing personalities, debates, and events. The essays review the making of the Vermont Constitution, the ratification and adoption of the U.S. Constitution, and Vermont's adjustment to statehood.
Reading level: high school - adult
Number of copies available: 1
Ruth M. Rasey Simpson, Hand-Hewn in Old Vermont (Birmingham, AL: Crane Hill Publishers, 1993). This is a wonderful account of the eighteenth century settlement of Rupert Mountain by the author's own ancestors as well as others and the unimaginable struggles they faced on a daily basis. The author conveys the powerful message that we must all be reminded of the sacrifices made by our forebears to "hand-hew the timbers" to build the state and country in which we live.
Reading level: middle school - adult
Number of copies available: 1
Caro Thompson, Champlain: The Lake Between (Vermont Public Television, 2008) This documentary explores the context for Samuel de Champlain’s 1609 visit to the lake that now bears his name. With epic stories of conflict and diplomacy, and dramatic re-enactments, this engaging program supplies the historic backdrop for an important period in Vermont history. This special edition contains a teacher’s guide CD.
Level: middle school - adult
Number of copies: 2 dvds
