Roger and Helen Layn were well-known citizens of Monkton and in 2020 on Roger’s 100th birthday the whole town turned out to celebrate. Many of us knew of their service in general terms, but this article helps us to understand the sacrifices and heroism they each displayed. Their family still runs the farm, offering “quality meats…
Author: Webmaster
Community Scanning Day
What fun we had yesterday at our Community Scanning Day! Thanks to generous folks, we were able to add some great images to our photo collection. And, the stories we heard were priceless. Here is one image of teacher Doris Agan and students at the Boro School, 1956-57, donated by Marlene French Russell. Please check…
Preserving Monkton’s Past
The MMHS is working to preserve Monkton’s past. Won’t you help us by sharing photographs of people, places or events of Monkton? As historians, we try to make Monkton’s history come alive. We are thrilled whenever we discover images of the people or places we are studying. We’ve seen how popular these photos can be…
Eclipse: Making History in Monkton
We usually report on events from Monkton’s past but in this case we have some history in the making. The total solar eclipse on Monday April 8 brought approximately 200 people to the Town Hall for a party organized by a small committee: Marilyn Cargill, Teri and Ralph Fitz-Gerald, Cindy Belanger and Jessica Demeritt. There were…
Stephen Haight Jr. Home, Barnumton
Stephen Haight [1738-1825] settled in Barnumton before 1800. This Friends (Quaker) family was from Dutchess Co., NY. Stephen married twice, first to Lydia Allen, who was the mother of his children, and second to Keturah Baker, widow of William Robblee. Stephen is buried in the Friends Cemetery off Cemetery Road. Stephen and Lydia, had a…
Help Us Save Memories!
We are delighted to announce the purchase of a new scanner to collect memories from across Monkton. We’ll be hosting a scanning party on Sunday morning, May 5 from 10:00-12:00. The MHHS will collect and organize photos and documents to be saved and shared with curious folks in the future. Between now and May 5,…
John Thomas Home in Barnumtown
This photo is from William Haight Harrison’s 1927 trip to Monkton. Does anyone know if this place in Barnumtown still stands? John Thomas, from Connecticut, came to Monkton in 1796, where he died in 1799, leaving a wife and nine children. Mrs. Thomas married Dr. Dan Stone in 1880. Dan Stone, from Connecticut, a graduate…
Ice Harvesting
When our team was researching our History of East Monkton, I became interested in the topic of ice harvesting as I began to really think about the days before electric refrigeration. It was not until the late 1930s that electricity came to Monkton. Before that, homes, farms and businesses were all dependent upon ice to…
Vermont Kaolin Corporation
The first time I saw this photo in Vermont Life (Autumn 1961, page 38), I could not believe my eyes. This huge enterprise was in East Monkton? These were the buildings of the Vermont Kaolin Corporation, located just east of Hardscrabble Road. This company was the last of the several companies that mined kaolin in East…
Photo Challenge
Challenge! Where was this photo taken? When? Full disclosure: we don’t know. The photo is in our archives unlabeled but we are sure the wisdom of the crowd will help us. Once you think you know the location add your idea to the comment section. Of course, please respect private property and don’t walk on…