Murder in the Vermont Woods
Watch as Jill Mudgett, Morristown historian, presents "Murder in the Vermont Woods,” the story of an indigenous man who came to Calais, Vermont in the late 1800s and was murdered by a Worcester man who had previously been imprisoned for another horrific murder. Recreating community connections in a rural hill town, this story is about poverty, racism, disability, and violence against women. The crime, for which the murderer was eventually hanged, took place near the Calais/Worcester line near Eagle Ledge Road. This program was sponsored by the Worcester Historical Society and supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Brothers Four and More (2022)
Brothers Four and More takes place in the late 1860s at the Richardson homestead, which was settled at the end of Minister Brook Road by John and Lydia Richardson in about 1846. John and Lydia's sons, Alonzo, Joel, Calvin and Plummer, assist their father in the woods and on the farm when they can. The four are part of a close- knit family, and like most siblings, they spend a lot of time teasing and badgering one another. Three of the brothers saw action in the Union Army during the Civil War, which is the topic during today's friendly argument over who had it the hardest. Civil War nurse Harriet Hinkson Holmes, who served at Montpelier's Sloan Hospital, comes to visit their mother and points out how hard her situation was as a nurse. Then they anticipate the arrival of Kate Hutchinson, who is still mourning the death of her son, little Willie. And, finally, they reflect on the death of Captain Edward Hall, who lost his life in the Battle of Cedar Creek. These scenarios give a poignant reminder of the enormous price paid by all during this pivotal time in American history.