VERNON — The Vernon Historical Museum will open for the season on Sunday, June 12, from 2 to 4 p.m., with an ice cream social.
The event will feature delightful music by Jack Arensmeyer and friends, and old-fashioned, hand-cranked ice cream will be made and served during the event. Please bring your lawn chairs and join the Vernon Historians in celebrating community and local history.
Located at 4201 Fort Bridgman Road (Route 142), the Vernon Historical Museum will be open Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. starting on June 12 and continuing through Sept. 18. It will be closed on July 3, July 10, and Sept. 4. Appointments to view the museum or the 1860s Pond Road Chapel, Vernon's oldest remaining church, which features an Estey organ, may be made by emailing [email protected] or calling 802-258-4841.
The main museum building, built in 1848, is Vernon's former District Schoolhouse #4, also known as the “South School.” Recreated rooms include the original one-room school, a farm kitchen, and period tool room.
A large archive of genealogy, photographs, information on local history, and artifacts are also available for viewing. An adjacent building houses horse-drawn carriages, farm-related equipment, tools, a large loom, an anchor found in the Connecticut River, and a portion of the former North Vernon Post Office.
On Sunday, July 10, at 2:30 p.m., the Vernon Historians will present environmental biologist and natural resource planner Adair Mulligan speaking about “The Connecticut: New England's Great River.” An author, photographer, historian, and avid outdoorswoman, Mulligan currently is executive director of the Hanover Conservancy.
And, on Sunday, Aug. 28, the Vernon Historians will hold the “Mums and More Sale” annual fundraiser, featuring wares by local craftspeople and plants from Griffin Gardens. Vendors interested in participating are invited to contact the Vernon Historians for more information about the event.
Vernon Historians, Inc. is a nonprofit organization formed in 1968. Admission to the museum and all Vernon Historians programs is free and open to the public. Visitors are asked to follow the most current local, state, and federal COVID-19 guidelines.