50 for 250 at Vermont Historical Society 

As part of national commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the United States, Vermont Historical Society (VHS) has selected 50 items from its collections that symbolize themes, trends, and moments from the state’s long and proud history.

These items are the focus of intensive research and scholarship by VHS staff and invited scholars. Each writer has studied the material culture of each object – how it was used, its condition, its historical significance, and its role in explaining broader interlocking themes – for a written essay. VHS collections staff have produced high-quality photographs and performed additional conservation work for the selected items.  

This research will inform a major exhibit, 50 for 250, at the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier, featuring all fifty objects and inviting visitors to explore the role they played in our history.  This exhibit opens to the public on Friday, July 3rd and will run through June 2027.  

Accompanying the exhibit will be a commemorative book, 50 for 250, bringing together the written essays and new photographs, as well as an audio guide to the exhibition, and a public program series that includes hands-on programs at libraries throughout the state and weekly collections highlights on social media.

At the same time, VHS’s Education staff will incorporate this new research and understanding into outreach for teachers and students, as well as programming for Vermont’s local historical societies in the form of workshops and presentations.  

VHS Director of Collections and Access Amanda Kay Gustin says that “the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American experiment is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on where we've been and where we're going as a country and as a state. VHS holds thousands upon thousands of treasures, objects that help us connect Vermonters to their state's story, building a bridge between the past and the present.”