The Brattleboro History Center invites everyone to come see new exhibits during Gallery Walk this Friday evening and throughout the month of September.
One new exhibit is a collaboration with the Brattleboro Planning Services called “What If” Brattleboro – An Exhibit of Unfinished Plans” and shows a collection of planning documents for Brattleboro projects that were never built or only partially completed.
Visitors can study plans for an enhanced riverfront, examine plans for a parking garage in the High-Grove lot, and see roundabouts on Main Street, at Exit 2 and in West Brattleboro. The exhibit combines architectural plans, renderings, satellite images, and models.
A copy of the new Brattleboro Town Plan will be on display.
(The idea for this exhibit came about when I was visiting Brain Bannon regarding Fence Viewing issues. Surrounding his desk and around his office were plans for projects that literally ended up on the shelf. Some lacked funding, some failed to get necessary approvals, and others simply faded with the changing times and needs in town. We hatched a plan to put some of the more interesting ones on display and he helped select the best candidates.)
Another new exhibit is sure to be of interest to local historians. The BHC is displaying artifacts related to Mary Cabot, the Brattleboro author of The Annals of Brattleboro. Cabot’s handwritten notes for the books, copies of the completed volumes, and personal items will be the focus. Stop in to see some photos of Ms. Cabot and see her work.
Of special interest is a copy of letter recently given to the Brattleboro Historical Society. In it Mary Cabot details the arrival, stay, and eventual departure of Mr. Rudyard Kipling in just over 40 pages of typewritten notes. Readers will find that Conan Doyle visited Kipling in Brattleboro, and that Mr. Kipling despised the trolley to the point of threatening to sell his home. Ms. Cabot purchased the home after the Kiplings departed.
The Brattleboro History Center continues to grow and develop. The center has new signs in front of their 196 Main Street location, and a new website to share Brattleboro history and photos at www.brattleborohistoricalsociety.org. Stop in Thursdays, Fridays, or Saturdays, and be sure to drop in during each Gallery Walk to share memories and see new displays.
New Town Plan, Too
A copy of the new Brattleboro Town Plan is on display, too, hot off the presses.