Archive of Past Programs
At the Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village, we believe in preserving our own past program history too. Please click the month below to view our video recordings.
2021
October
Native Seeds: Indigenous New England Food Systems, Past and Present
October 7 @ 6:00 PM ONLINE
In this virtual program, Frederick Wiseman, coordinator at the Vermont Indigenous Heritage Center (Burlington, VT) and director at the Wôbanakik Heritage Center (Swanton, VT), and Don Stevens, Chief of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk – Abenaki Nation, introducued the cultural clash and history of both native and early settler agriculture in northern New England (Vermont and Wampanoag of northern Maine). Pivoting to the present, they then discussed native seed renewal iniatives and the revival of native agricultural practices including calendrics, ritual, horticulture and cuisine. This talk held in partnership with Historic New England.
July
Rufus Porter Murals Online Exhibit and Spoken Presentation
Born in West Boxford, Massachusetts to a farm family, itinerant painter Rufus Porter painted landscape murals that earned him wide attention. From 1824 to 1845, he completed more than 150 murals, a combination of freehand and stencils. Placed over mantles and entire walls, his murals were especially appreciated because he did natural settings of local views instead of the traditional elaborate classical or historical scenes with enhanced decoration. Join the voice of Linda Lefko by watching the video above online to explore Mr. Porter’s murals found only at the Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village. Click here for further reading and exhibits to visit.
February
On His Own Resources: The Enigmatic Alexander Twilight, 1795–1857
February 24, 2021
Missed “On His Own Resources: The Enigmatic Alexander Twilight, 1795–1857” discussion with William Hart, Professor Emeritus of History at Middlebury College? Watch the recording of this intriguing talk above.
May
Virtual Opening Extravaganza!
Open the season with a virtual bang! This past May 12-16 we posted each day’s events online completely FREE. Just check below!
Wednesday, May 12: Official Virtual Opening of the Museum
Our Virtual Opening Extravaganza kicked off with an opening dedication to the 2021 season.
Independent producer Erica Heilman produced this story for Vermont Public Radio last year after visiting our 2020 Collectors’ Fair. It was the last in-person event we held in 2020 before Covid19 cancelled our season. She says she will be back next year to try again!
Thursday, May 13: First Day of Collectors’ Fair
Friday, May 14: Second Day of Collectors’ Fair
We remembered the gas, steam and engine shows of the past at the Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village. We hope to be back in-person next year!!!
Saturday, May 15: Third Day of Collectors’ Fair
Sunday, May 16: Final Day of Virtual Opening Extravaganza
Composting With Northeast Kingdom Waste Management District
Watch this May 6 workshop with our partners at the Northeast Kingdom Waste Management District as they make composting easy. This workshop was designed to provide the essential information you’ll need to feel comfortable experimenting with backyard composting while understanding some of the science behind the process.
2020
October
Fall 2020 Paint N’ Sip Workshops
Nature’s Bounty Series with Marget Maldonado
Make beautiful and wearable works of art. Florist and artist Marget Maldonado led three sessions in Fall 2020 with video recordings of them posted below. Each session is about an hour long with hands-on instructions.
If you would like to order flowers, fresh or dried from Marget, or have any questions, please click here to contact her via email: Marget Maldonado
All of the videos below are made FREE for your enjoyment. We ask that you give a small donation if so moved.
Making Evergreen Salve’s with Marget Maldonado
Material List:
- Oil to infuse it could be sunflower oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil or olive oil
- Beeswax pellets
- Essential oil of your preference ( lavender, geranium, lemongrass or any that you would like to use)
- Shea butter or/and mango butter
- A double boiler pan or 2 pans that fit on each other to warm up the oil and melt the beeswax and butter
- Spoon for mixing
- Measurement cups
Make Flower Crowns with Marget Maldonado
Material List:
- 3 or 4 fresh Dogwood branches to create the ring
- Fresh flowers from your garden or any local bouquet of flowers will do (hydrangeas, calendula, black-eyed Susan, goldenrod, delphiniums)
- Floral tape
- Garden scissors
- Scissors
Make Fall and Winter Wreaths with Marget Maldonado
Material List:
- Red dogwood branches
- Birch, spruce, white pine, balsam or any nice branches to make the swag
- Dry flowers, pine cones, leaves, feathers
- Floral tape
- Floral wire
- Garden scissors
August
Old Stone House Week
Wednesday, August 5 to Sunday, August 9, 2020
Old Stone House Day went virtual. And it was no longer just a day—we celebrated all week! Participants took pat in enlivening talks, Historical Vermont Music, and a special Kids’ Friday online extravaganza. At the end of the week, members of the Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village participated in our 2020 Annual Meeting.
Shanta Lee Gander, Bearing Witness and The Endurance of Voice
Wednesday, August 5
Shanta Lee Gander is an artist and multi-faceted professional in leadership, marketing, management, and a range of other areas. As an artist, her endeavors include writing prose, poetry, investigative journalism, and photography. Shanta Lee’s prose has been incorporated into her former weekly radio segments, Ponder This on Green Mountain Mornings 100.3 FM/1490 AM WKVT.
Shanta Lee Gander’s Website
Shanta Lee Gander at Mount Island
Shanta Lee Gander’s Production with Sobo Studio
Shanta Lee Gander’s Article in Rebelle Society
Shanta Lee Gander’s Article for Ms.
Shanta Lee Gander’s Article for The Crisis
William Edelglass, A History of the Concept of Race
Thursday, August 6
William Edelglass teaches philosophy, environmental studies, and Buddhist studies at Marlboro College. He has published widely in Buddhist philosophy, environmental philosophy, and 20th-century European philosophy. This video will not be on YouTube to respect participants privacy. Please Click HERE for the Materials From this Class.
Kids’ Friday Online Extravaganza
Friday, August 7
Our Kids’ Friday educational program involved students in sharing their handmade creations based on what they learned about Alexander Lucius Twilight. They then explored games and pastimes of the mid 19th Century. This video was not shared here or on YouTube to respect participants privacy.
Historical Vermont Music
Saturday, August 8 at 7:00 PM
Local musicians Phil and Eileen Baker kicked off the evening with a set of twelve songs that speak to the history of Vermont. After a short break, they played some modern tunes they wrote and adapted.
Annual Meeting with Board of Trustees
Sunday, August 9
Please find a recording of the 2020 Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village Annual Meeting. All members are welcome at your annual meetings. Please click HERE for the 2020 Annual Meeting Minutes. Please click HERE for the 2020 Annual Report.
Brought To You By:
September
Alexander Twilight Day 2020
Sunday, September 20-Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Alexander Lucius Twilight was enigmatic and magnetic. He was driven and visionary. He was also an impressive force as an educator through the mid 1800’s in historic Brownington Village who essentially built Athenian Hall (the four-story granite building that would house both girls and boys from 1836-1858). He employed what is modernly described as place-based, experiential educational techniques.
You may also know that Mr. Twilight was the first African American to serve in a state legislature and to graduate from a United States college (Middlebury). Mr. Twilight’s father, a freed Black man, fought in the Revolutionary War. Join us annually as we celebrate his birthday and the State of Vermont designating September 23 as Alexander Twilight Day!
Sunday, September 20, 2020
We hosted a reading of the Vermont State Concurrent Resolution designating Alexander Twilight Day and the unveiling of a new historical marker in Historic Brownington Village.
In attendance were United States Representative Peter Welch, Vermont Senators John Rodgers and Robert Starr, Vermont State Representatives Vicki Strong of Albany, Michael Marcotte of Coventry, Brian Smith of Derby, Mark Higley of Lowell, Paul Lefebvre of Newark, Woodman Page of Newport City, and Vermont State Curator David Schutz and Tracy Martin of Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. We would like to thank each of them for making Alexander Twilight Day possible. Find the dedication ceremony full program HERE.
Monday, September 21, 2020
Participants joined us (with masks and social distancing) to see our new Twilight Education Trail, take museum tours, and view aerial views of the new trails and historic grounds (below).
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Why is Mr. Twilight relevant to you? Our community joined us in giving feedback on this question below.
More responses from our community:
December 12, 2019 “Princes and Free Men” Episode of Before Your Time by the Vermont Historical Society and Vermont Humanities.
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
September 23 is the actual day of Mr. Twilight’s birthday.
Our community joined us virtually for the day of Mr. Twilight’s birthday. Find below a reading of Mr. Twilight’s 20th Sermon by Roderick J. Owens and presentations by the Twilight Girls, Rajnii Eddins, and Evensteve.com.
All events were broadcast on our YouTube channel and in partnership with Kingdom Access Television and NEK Television.
June
Bees Besieged: A History of Beekeeping
Saturday, June 13
The first video presents a new book on Beekeeping, “The Land of Milk and Honey, a History of Beekeeping in Vermont” published by the Green Writers Press. The second covers our June 13 workshop where Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village members got to ask two of the authors questions.
Beekeeping goes back 10,000 years, but bees have been much in the news recently as a multi-pronged scourge has devastated many of the nation’s 2.5 million colonies. Meanwhile, hobby beekeeping has grown exponentially in the country. Bill Mares, writer, and a beekeeper for 45 years, talked about the origins and evolution of beekeeping, sometimes referred to as “farming for intellectuals.”
Once you watch our workshop, please complete this survey for the Vermont Humanities Council.
Backyard Composting Workshop
Tuesday, June 16
Interested in backyard composting? Watch the video of the Northeast Kingdom Waste Management District’s last workshop above. This backyard composting workshop prepares residents for the upcoming food scrap disposal ban starting July 1, 2020.
July
Reading Frederick Douglass with Tyler Alexander
Saturday, July 4
The great abolitionist orator Frederick Douglass delivered a speech in 1852 in Rochester, NY called The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro. Douglass told his primarily white audience, “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.”
Nevertheless, the speech is a powerful reminder of America’s troubled past with race and slavery, and it raises fundamental questions that are just as relevant today as they were in 1852: Is America’s past worthy of praise or condemnation? What is the best way to combat racial oppression? At what point does political compromise no longer become desirable? What role do white Americans have in creating a more just nation? The Fourth of July, our preeminent national holiday, is an ideal time to reflect on these questions. Find a transcript of the speech here.
Hair Today (Not Gone Tomorrow) with Mary Hamilton French
Sunday, July 12
In the 19th century, hair art was a popular way to remember loved ones. Regarded with sentimental affection, human hair was made into jewelry and wreaths or stored in albums. As it ages, hair becomes brittle and fragile and when locks of hair are bound into an album the result is a particularly complex object.
Join conservator Mary French as she discussed her conservation work on a 19th century hair album. Drawing on book, textile, and objects conservation techniques, she created an innovative and fully reversible treatment to stabilize the hair locks and reattach them to the support leaves and repaired the binding without causing further damage to the hair.
Knit Democracy Together Knitting Circle with Eve Jacobs-Carnahan
Saturday, July 18
Like the historic sewing circles where abolitionists and suffragists discussed the issues of the day, artist (and election law lawyer) Eve Jacobs-Carnahan led and facilitated a virtual gathering to knit building blocks of a state capitol sculpture. Participants made pieces of the sculpture from yarn while hearing how some cities and states have decreased candidate reliance on private campaign money. Simple patterns provided for knitting, crochet, or making cable with fingers.
May
Composting Workshop with NEKWMD
Thursday, May 7
Watch this May 7 workshop with our partners at the Northeast Kingdom Waste Management District as they made composting easy. This workshop was designed to provide the essential information you’ll need to feel comfortable experimenting with backyard composting while understanding some of the science behind the process.
Starting Plants in Your Home and Greenhouse
Saturday, May 16
This workshop led May 16 by Old Stone House Executive Director Molly Veysey gave viewers a tour of her recycled-window potting shed and hoop house and newly started plants. This class was aimed at beginning gardeners looking to get a little more serious about their production while working to lengthen the short northern Vermont growing season.