This month marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Special celebrations, exhibits and events are unfolding nation and statewide, some of which are discussed in this newsletter.  This will be the first 250th  anniversary celebration of several to come in the next few years and motivated me to put together the time line of the Revolutionary War and where Montgomery fits on it.

     Neither  the State of Vermont, nor the Town of Montgomery existed in 1776.  Both New Hampshire and New York claimed the territory that would become the self-proclaimed Vermont Republic in 1777.  

     The Republic would grant, or create, the Town of Montgomery three years later in 1780, three years before the war ended.  Six years after the war ended the Republic of Vermont would approve a charter for Montgomery. 

      Vermont became the 14th state in 1791.  Montgomery's first settlers, most of whom were War veterans and their families, arrived two years afterward.

  COMING 250th ANNIVERSARYS

        2027 - Vermont Republic Established
        2030 - Montgomery Granted  
        2033 - Treaty of Paris / Revolutionary War's End
        2039 - Montgomery Chartered
        2041 - Vermont becomes 14th State
        2043 - Montgomery's First Settlers Arrived
        2052 - Montgomery's First Government Organized

                                     
Thank you for your continued support and encouragement,

                                                                                              Scott

      The MHS picked co-winners for both the Dr. Winston Lewis Memorial Scholarship and the Joe and Irene Scott Memorial Scholarship.   It was a very competitive year.

     Emily Lumbra and Ruby Tillotson were co-winners of the Lewis scholarship.  Emily will attend McGill University and Ruby will attend Middlebury College.  

     Isaias Legasse and Miley Decker were co-winners of the Scott scholarship.  Miley will attend the University of Vermont for a Nursing degree and Isaias will attend Lineman training.

     They each received $500, a copy of the Town history, a certificate, and a biography of their scholarship's namesake.  Congratulations and best wishes for success.

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    A small group of about a dozen braved the cold, wind, and rain to honor Montgomery's deceased veterans on June 24th.  This was the 32nd year the MHS has organized our annual Memorial Day commemoration.  This year's took place at the St. Isidore's cemetery.  

     There are 304 veterans buried in Montgomery’s cemeteries.  Sixty-two are interred at St. Isidore's and were included in our Roll Call there.  They served during the period spanning the Civil War to Vietnam.

     We also acknowledge any veteran with Montgomery connections who has died in the last 12 months regardless of where, or if, they are interred .  This year we recognized Elmer Baker and Alton Romero, who both served in the Vietnam War era.

     In acknowledgment of the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence we also did a roll call of the 11 Revolutionary War veterans interred in Montgomery.  In 1776 their ages ranged from 11 to 32.  Men 16 to 55 were eligible to serve, as were 15 year olds with their parents' permission.  The war ended in 1783.

     Our thanks to American Legion Post 42 for providing Military Honors and arranging for playing of Taps (video), and to American Legion Post 12 for placing flags on veteran's graves.

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      We are sad to announce Mary Garceau has opted to leave our Board.  She was our inside connection to Santa Claus and a planner for our Annual Meetings.  We will miss her common sense approach to issues and optimistic approach to our work.  Our thanks to Mary and board member-by-marriage Roger, for their service.

     We are happy to welcome Dennis Baker (and Cindy) to our Board.  He auditioned us at a monthly meeting and couldn't resist committing to our happy group.

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     The Vermont Covered Bridge Society hopes to fly commemorative flags at every covered bridge in the State this summer to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence 250 years ago.  The Town was provided with five and they were installed by the Historical Society with the blessing of the Selectboard.  They are based on the Betsy Ross flag with the number 250 in the circle of 13 stars.

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       Farmers Market:  Year nine of our Farmer's Market began June 27th, skips July 4th and will run through October 17th every Saturday from 9:30 to 1:00 pm.  We can always use additional vendors so if you are interested in vending please contact Patty Perl (326-2176) or Elsie Saborowski (326-4558).  We will also have a "Christmas in July" booth on the 11th, 18th, and 25th of July.

     Sierra Club Travelers Visit:  The Sierra Club is basing their second ever Vermont Hike/Bike/Paddle trip in Montgomery in mid-July.  We will host them at Pratt Hall for presentations on Montgomery History, and the Franklin County Barn Quilts and possibly others.  Keep an eye out for a group of about 12 taking in the Town.

     VT Covered Bridges Week:  August 1st through 8th.  Help us celebrate Vermont's 2nd annual  Covered Bridge Week.  We will be giving free  presentations on the history of Montgomery's covered bridges and why we're the Covered Bridge Town on both the 1st and the 8th at 11:00am.  Free pamphlets with maps also provided.  The Vermont Covered Bridge Society will have a booth too.

         We hope to add other events and plan to host our holiday events as before.

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     Our Annual Meeting was June 28th.  Over fifty members and guests received the Annual Report which pronounced the Society in good shape and making substantial progress on a new archive.  The old building was removed after asbestos was remediated and construction should begin this Fall (fingers crossed!)

     Our guest speaker, longtime MHS member and author, Bob Soden, discussed his new book "Jay Peak: Once and Future".