Author Archives: Special Collections

Baking with Substitute Flours: A Patriotic Sacrifice

When I encountered the 1918 UVM Extension Circular No. 13, “Substitute” Breads, Biscuits and Muffins, I knew I had found the topic for my first post in our year-long Vermont cookbook series. I started substituting whole wheat flour for white … Continue reading

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Pullin’ in the New Year!

Ingrid Bower continues our cookbook series with a post about making molasses taffy. December is generally known as a time to gather and celebrate with friends and family. It is a time when even mageirocophobes (those with a fear of … Continue reading

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Hygge* in My Vermont Kitchen

 Hygge: a Danish word meaning a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality. For the next year, Silver Special Collections staff will share their adventures cooking with recipes from our Vermont cookbook collection. Sharon Thayer starts the series with this post … Continue reading

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Racing to Ratify

In July 1920, Vermont had the chance to be the final state to ratify the 19th Amendment and guarantee women the right to vote. Congress passed the amendment in June 1919 and sent it to the states for ratification. By … Continue reading

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Traveling with Caroline Crane Marsh

Although our transcription team has been working from home, they simultaneously have been traveling in Italy with Caroline Crane Marsh. Team members Ingrid Bower, Chris Burns, Erin Doyle, Hannah Johnson and Sharon Thayer are transcribing the diaries Caroline kept from … Continue reading

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Billings Library: A Most Delightful Place for Dancing

For over forty years, Commencement Week activities at the University of Vermont included what a 1912 headline called a “brilliant commencement function.” From 1894 to 1936, the evening of Class Day ended with a senior reception followed by a senior … Continue reading

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Twisting the Night Away

Beginning in the summer of 2019, Special Collections worked with the Department of Theatre and Dance to plan an outreach program for this semester that included an exhibit, a lecture, a panel discussion, and a student performance. This is the … Continue reading

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Work of Art: Dancing Together in Vermont

In February, we mounted a new exhibit in our small gallery, “Work of Art: Dancing Together in Vermont.” The exhibit examines the process involved in creating diverse dance communities, from groups of girls and boys in clever costumes tap dancing … Continue reading

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George Washington’s Bold, Clear Signature

In his 1902 book on the art of bookbinding, William Loring Andrews describes George Washington’s beautifully bound copy of The Contrast as “a book made doubly valuable by having the great chieftain’s bold, clear signature upon the title page.” That … Continue reading

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Medieval Manuscripts in the Green Mountains

This article was adapted from the presentation that Silver Special Collections Director Jeffrey Marshall delivered to open our November 2019 colloquium, “Interpreting the Handwritten Book: Medieval Manuscripts at UVM.” Our Rare Book Collection includes sixteen medieval manuscript books. We can … Continue reading

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