MONTPELIER – The Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA), a division of the Secretary of State’s office, has announced a free summer speaker series to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary. Three monthly talks are planned for July, August and September.
On July 22, Tyler Alexander will examine the ways in which ordinary Vermonters understood the meaning of the American Revolution’s legacy as it pertained to the struggle to restore the Union and abolish slavery during the Civil War period in “We Are Finishing the Work of the Revolution: Redefining the American Revolution’s Legacy in the Civil War.”
“Lost Graves: Burials on the Grounds of the Vermont State Hospital, 1891-1913,” by Vermont Representative Anne Donahue, will be held August 10. Donahue will explore an aspect of the state’s treatment of persons with mental illness at the turn of the 19th century through an analysis of historical records regarding the remains of patients at the Vermont State Hospital in Waterbury.
“Integrating Archives and Archaeology: Recent Studies at the Fort Vengeance Monument Site in Pittsford,” by Kate Kenny. Kenny will recount her work as part of the University of Vermont Consulting Archaeology Program’s archaeological survey at the Fort Vengeance Monument Site in Pittsford for the Vermont Agency of Transportation.
All talks are scheduled for 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in Room 11 at the Vermont State House, on State Street in Montpelier. Livestream and recording will be available courtesy of ORCA media at orcamedia.net/series/live-stream-events
The speaker series webpage is at sos.vermont.gov/vsara/learn/speaker-series
