GUILFORD — What were ordinary folks doing in Vermont before they got caught up the whirlwind of the Civil War? Find out on Sunday, July 15, at 2 p.m. at the Guilford Historical Society's program Guilford 1860: As the Storm Clouds Gathered.
The program is to be held at the Guilford Meeting House on the Guilford Center Road (next door to the Guilford Free Library). The illustrated presentation will be filled with unexpected and amusing details to answer questions about what farmers raised, the jobs women held, surprises in the town budget, and attitudes about kissing in public.
Based on research done with census records, the grand list, a school register, letters, photographs, period newspapers, and the collections of various historical societies and libraries, the program, by Guilford resident Linda Hay, will look at life in this one small Vermont town.
“I wanted to know the specifics, not just generalizations,” she said. “Many of us think Little Women or Ken Burns' series The Civil War when we think of that period, but I wanted to check out the truth of those images. I think the answers will surprise people.”
She will have illustrations posted on display boards so that people can examine them close up before and after the talk. They include maps, copies of the handwritten census records, dozens of photos of people from the Green River section of town, and artifacts in the museum.
She has tried to match the families listed on the census to a map of homes in Guilford in 1858 so folks can see who lived in their house in those days, or where their family lived. She will try to answer individual questions afterward about her research, the illustrations, and where people can look for answers to their own queries.
The Guilford Historical Society Museum, located in the former Town Hall building, across the street from the Meeting House, will be open before and after the program for anyone wishing to see the current exhibit originally created for the Guilford 250 celebration.
Copies of Bull Run by Paul Fleishman, the Vermont Reads book for this year, will be distributed. On July 22, there will be a group discussion of the book at the Guilford Free Library at 6:30 p.m.
Both events are free and open to everyone, not just Guilford residents. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call 802-254-6294.