General Vermont History

Books & Resources available through our Lending Library. Learn how to borrow here.

Richard Allen, Laura Feaster, Allen Myers, and Mary Woodruff, The Vermont Geography Book, Second Edition and Teachers' Guide and Resource Book (Burlington, VT: Northern Cartographic, 1989). This is a very necessary teacher resource for elementary school children covering all aspects of Vermont physical and cultural geography. This teaching and learning aid provides excellent maps and exercises that help teachers go beyond the "highest mountain" or "longest river" idea.
Reading level: elementary school - adult
Number of copies available: 3 of the book and 1 of the teachers' guide

Amy B. Demarest, ed., This Lake Alive! An Interdisciplinary Handbook for Teaching and Learning about the Lake Champlain Basin
(Shelburne, VT: The Stewardship Institute of Shelburne Farms, 1997). This is a valuable educator's resource for the teaching of the history, archaeology, ecology, geography, geology, and the plant, fish, and wildlife associated with Lake Champlain. Included are many classroom activities and ideas for field trips, research topics, math, writing projects, and games geared toward elementary and middle school students.
Reading level: adult
Number of copies available: 1

Margaret Dornfeld, It's My State! Vermont
(Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2005). This wide-ranging Vermont history text-book offers upper elementary students a colorful introduction to the complex physical, cultural, and political history of the Green Mountain state.· The informative text spans Vermont's history from the culture and European encounter of Vermont's native Abenaki to the crisis of Vermont's struggling rural economy.· Historical facts are highlighted with quotes by and about the people of Vermont.· Colorful illustrations and photographs bring the story to life.
Reading level: upper elementary
Number of copies available: 24

J. Kevin Graffagnino, Samuel B. Hand, and Gene Sessions, ed., Vermont Voices, 1609 Through the 1990s: A Documentary History of the Green Mountain State
(Montpelier, VT: Vermont Historical Society, 1999). This is a valuable collection of primary source materials that includes over 150 documents. Along with eleven introductory essays by the editors, the book presents the length and breadth of Vermont's past primarily in Vermonters' own words. It may be used as a teaching resource for middle school students or as a research source for older students.
Reading level: high school - adult
Number of copies available: 1

Elise A. Guyette, Vermont: A Cultural Patchwork and Teacher's Guide
(Peterborough, NH: Cobblestone Publishing, Inc., 1986). What a beautiful mixture of cultures and peoples have come together to shape our Vermont heritage! The author has produced a wonderful teacher resource and Vermont history book including many writing activities, games, recipes, and art and building activities geared toward upper elementary and middle school students.
Reading level: fourth grade - adult
Number of copies available: 3 of the book and 1 of the teacher's guide.

Harold A. Meeks, Time and Change in Vermont: A Human Geography
(Chester, NH: The Globe Pequot Press, 1986). Meeks covers the land use of Vermont from the initial settlements to modern times. This is a wonderful resource providing a historical geography and economic history of Vermont.
Reading level: high school - adult
Number of copies available: 1

Harold A. Meeks, Vermont's Land and Resources
(Shelburne, VT: The New England Press, 1986). A resource describing Vermont's natural environment, its development, and current use. This is a physical geography of Vermont covering everything from glaciers and floods to land-use legislation.
Reading level: high school - adult
Number of copies available: 1

Wolfgang Mieder, As Sweet as Apple Cider: Vermont Expressions
(Shelburne, VT: The New England Press, 1988). This is an assemblage of over 500 proverbial expressions used by Vermonters from the earliest times to the present.
Reading level: elementary - adult
Number of copies available: 1

Gregory Sharrow, Measured Furrows: Vermont's Farming History - Video and Teachers' Guide
(Middlebury, VT: Vermont Folklife Center, 1996). The printed teacher's guide is designed to accompany Measured Furrows: Vermont's Farming History, the first program in the nine-part Vermont ETV series The Farming Project. The booklet outlines key historical themes, presents timelines, and suggests discussion topics and follow-up research activities. The Measured Furrows video presents a history of Vermont agriculture from pre-history to the present, including the forces and trends that have shaped the agricultural map of Vermont, and a look at the people who have left their mark on the land. Running time: 58 minutes.
Reading level: middle school - high school
Number of copies available: 3 each of the VHS tape and teachers' guide

Michael Sherman, Gene Sessions, and P. Jeffrey, Potash, Freedom and Unity: A History of Vermont
(Barre, VT: Vermont Historical Society, 2004). This book is a crisp and engaging synthesis of Vermont's history from prehistoric times to the beginning of the twenty-first century, including contemporary developments, issues, and trends. It offers a comprehensive look at Vermont history from social, economic, political, cultural, and demographic perspectives, placed in a broad national context.
Reading level: high school - adult
Number of copies available: 1

Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, producers, The Vermont Heritage Series
(Charlotte, VT: Perceptions, Inc., 1991). This is a series of eight videos, ranging in length from 14 to 30 minutes each, that explores Vermont's past through visual images and expert commentary. An enjoyable and engaging way to learn about many aspects of the state's past.
I. A Rich and Ancient Heritage: Vermont's Archaeological Sites
II. A Vermont Heritage: Agricultural Building and Landscapes
III. Buildings, Villages, Towns: Traditions in Vermont Architecture
IV. From Meeting House to Opera House: Vermont's Political and Cultural Heritage
V. Getting There from Here: Vermont's Transportation Heritage
VI. Made in Vermont, Sold in Vermont: Our Industrial and Commercial Heritage
VII. Two Centuries of Tourism in Vermont
VIII. A Guide to the Historic Architectural Styles of Vermont
Level: middle school - adult
Number of copies available: 1 of each VHS tape

Vermont ETV, Inc., The Farming Project.
(1994). This is a set of four videos that explores how Vermont farmers respond to the demands and stress of farming (The People), how Vermont farmers face a tightening and ever more complex marketplace for their products (The Market), how science and technology influences the changing face of agriculture in Vermont (The Tools), and a look at the future of Vermont agriculture in the face of changing markets, technology, and competition (The Future). Running time: 58 minutes per video.

The Farming Project:
Troubled Harvest: The People
Troubled Harvest: The Market
Troubled Harvest: The Tools
Troubled Harvest: The Future
Level: middle school - adult
Number of copies available: 1 of each VHS tape