Colchester Historical Society
Celebrating 51 years!
January 8, 1975 a group of our citizens met in the Ira Allen room of the Burnham Memorial Library and founded the Colchester Historical Society.
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Announcements
- Plan to attend Colchester's Italian Garden Farms Historic Marker unveiling June 13th at 10AM at 682 Mallett's Bay Avenue. This Vermont Historic Marker honors the legacy and contributions of Italian immigrant families who settled in Colchester and built a thriving farming community. Well-known garden expert Charlie Nardozzi will be the Master of Ceremonies. Join in celebrating these wonderful farms and their hard-working people who have been feeding us for nearly 125 years.
- The Colchester Log Schoolhouse is now open for the summer and will continue to be open every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 10AM to 2PM until September 7.
This 1815 Log Schoolhouse was the schoolhouse for the Bay area until 1927. It now serves as a visitor information center and as a charming museum to showcase some of Colchester's wonderful local history at Airport Park on the historic Colchester Bike path. Bring your family and friends! Learn about the early days of education in this lovely one-room schoolhouse. A fabulous volunteer host will show you around and answer your questions. Children may enjoy a fun scavenger hunt or craft a vintage toy. And anytime, day or night, you can always take a virtual visit by checking the Log Schoolhouse Restoration page on the left navigation list. Volunteer hosts are needed, and hours are very flexible. To learn more, please reach out to Carol Reichard at winchris65@comcast.net.
- Check out our Spring 2026 newsletter here or on the left navigation list for all the latest historical happenings in our society.
- Puzzles of our Village Green are still available for $20 as a fundraiser to help maintain our Log Schoolhouse. The puzzle can be purchased at the Burnham Memorial Library, the Town Clerk's Office, Claussen's Greenhouse, or Dick Mazza's Store.
- Local Historical Items for Sale
We are also offering two local historical books for sale as well as a lovely postcard of the former Nourse's Corner. These can be purchased at the Town Clerk's Office and at the Burnham Memorial Library or directly from the society at a meeting. All proceeds benefit the Historical Society. - Our complete 2025 - 2026 Calendar of Events and Activities is available here or by selecting the Activity Calendar on the left navigation list. Summaries of many past events are below. Some have been recorded and are available on request for viewing.
- Not a Member?
If you are not already a member of the Historical Society, please think about joining. It is easy. Just click here or use the Member Application Link at the left and print the application. Then send it along with your dues to the address listed. Annual dues are $15 per person or $25 for a family. - Donation of Colchester historical artifacts, documents, or photos.
The mission of the society is to preserve and make available historical information about Colchester. If you have historical items that represent the history of Colchester, please consider donating them to the Historical Society. Contact one of the people in the Contact Us list. - Driving Tours
Have you checked out the Driving Tours of Colchester yet? There are still no lines and no charge and many interesting spots are just waiting for you to visit. We are also proud to announce that the Vermont Historical Society recently presented us with a League of Local Historical Societies & Museums Award of Merit for our Self-Guided Historical Driving Tour. So start touring around and find out more about your town! You can find a link to several Driving Tours of Colchester on the left navigation panel. There are tours of Colchester Center, the Malletts Bay Area, the Airport Park Area, the Fort Ethan Allen Area and even the Town Cemeteries. You can download the files for your navigator (not the driver!) to use as you drive around to the locations described. We hope you enjoy finding more about the historical locations of our great town. - There is a lot of interesting historical information available online on this website and our Facebook page. Also, checkout the Vermont Historical Society website which you can access here.
Vintage Photo of the Historical Society House
October 13, 2025. Vermont author J. Kevin Graffagnino presented an interesting program about Ira Allen, Ethan Allen's youngest brother, who was at one time the owner of a great deal of property in Colchester. Land speculator, revolutionary, pamphleteer, politician and empire-builder, Ira Allen was a key figure on the late eighteenth-century Green Mountain frontier. Based on his book Ira Allen: A Biography, J. Kevin Graffagnino's lively talk evaluated Allen's checkered career and made the case for including him in our picture of Vermont's formative decades.
With the generous support of the Town of Colchester, the Colchester Historical Society was proud to host this very special event. It is our part of Vermont's celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This presentation was recorded by LCATV and is available online at Colchester Historical Society 2025-10-13 | LCATV
September 22, 2025. Curt Taylor took us back 250 years to September 22, 1775 to imagine what it was like to be in Colchester at that time of unrest in the Colonies.
Dressed in period costume and at times hoisting a tavern tankard, Curt entertained us with spirited style, humor, and important details about the early days of Colchester and the area's United Colonies. This event was held in recognition of, and in preparation for, Vermont's celebration of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. A recording is available upon request.
June 9, 2025. We had our annual BBQ, annual meeting and celebrated the 50th anniversary of our founding at the Parsonage on the Colchester Green. An Award of Merit was presented to the Society by the Vermont Historical Society to recognize the achievement. Here is a history of the society that Carol and Clinton Reichard presented at the meeting.
April 14, 2025: Local author James “Jim” Jones told us all about the History of Trolleys in our local area. The route that was most scary was down Colchester Ave into Winooski. Can you imagine travelling down that hill in winter on steel rails? The last active trolley was set ablaze in a ceremony at the corner of St Paul and Main St in Burlington in 1929. Electric trolleys served users of Fanny Allen Hospital in the early 1900s. A recording is available upon request.
February 8, 2025: Paul Goldman, former owner of WVMT radio, treated us to his remembrances of running the radio station. In case you didn't know, WVMT is Vermont's oldest radio station and celebrated 100 years of operation in 2024. A recording is available upon request.
June 10, 2024: At our Annual BBQ and meeting we celebrated the 125th anniversary of the building of the Parsonage where we meet. A delicious ice cream cake was donated by The Village Scoop for the celebration.
May 13, 2024: We spent a relaxing evening with Michelle Penca telling us "How Gardens Nurture Us" - contribute to our physical, mental, and social well-being. Using the grounds of the Parsonage as a starting point, she described heirloom plants that would likely have been in the garden and what those heirloom plants contribute to us. She showed some favorite plants of our founding citizens and why saving heirloom varieties is important for us and the creatures that also enjoy our gardens.