All programs will be presented at the Groton Free Public Library
First:
River Memories: Exploring Settlement Patterns on Waterways in Vermont: Friday October 17, 2025 5:30 PM -

Devastating recent rain events, including in July 2023 and 2024 and Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, have demonstrated that many communities in Vermont are vulnerable to damage from flooding. In this presentation historian Alan Berolzheimer examines how the development of settlement patterns over time have contributed to the problem of flooding in Vermont. Presentations will be adapted with town specific content to the extent possible.

Second:
Stories from Vermont Folklife’s Archive, a Listening Party: Saturday November 8, 2025 12:30-2:00 PM - Tailored for Groton, based on subjects suggested by Deborah Jurist and Sarah Spira, this program will feature audio interviews from the Folklife Archive. We will have a chance to brainstorm ideas for a Groton collection of oral histories. This program is a collaboration of the Vermont Folklife, Groton Historical Society, and Groton Free Public Library.

Third:
Thirty-Eight: The Hurricane That Transformed New England: Friday December 5, 2025 5:30 PM. In 1938, without any warning, the most destructive weather event ever to hit the Northeast blasted its way to Vermont with torrential rain, flooding, and sustained winds over 100 miles per hour.
Stephen Long tells the story, focusing on the devastation to the region’s forests and the daunting challenge facing New Englanders still in the throes of the Great Depression.

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