The Cabot Historical Society began in the fall of 1965, when a group of local women gathered at the home of Mrs. Abbie Orne and resolved to preserve the story of their town. They elected their first officers — Beatrice Perry, Abbie Orne, Helen Wellman, and Ruth Peck — set dues at twenty-five cents and took up their first project: research Cabot's earliest settlers. A food sale was their first fundraiser, and a handful of artifacts, kept at the Willey Building, formed the seed of today's collections.
Society News · September 2026
A New Executive Board
We are happy to announce a new executive board at Cabot Historical Society. At our Annual Meeting on September 12, 2026, the following slate of officers was unanimously approved:
Officers
- Fred Ducharme — President
- Dawn Andrews — Vice President
- Amanda Legare — Secretary
- Seth O’Brien — Treasurer
Each of these members is uniquely qualified for the position they hold. Fred has extensive experience as town selectperson and has been part of the building committee during the past year, helping to get the building stabilized. Dawn has extensive experience working with historical societies, securing grants, and fund-raising. Amanda is a past president of Cabot Historical Society and more recently served as publicity coordinator and on membership. Seth has been our treasurer for a couple of years and does an excellent job. He is also our technical advisor, getting our meetings on Zoom and arranging for WiFi.
Trustees
In addition to the executive board, the following members were appointed to serve as trustees to assist with decision making:
- Cedric Alexander
- Jane Brown
- Brittany Butler
- Ruth Goodrich (past president)
- Karen Larsen
New committees are being formed and those will be posted when they have been filled and chairs selected.
Looking Ahead
We welcome our new board members and look forward to an exciting season of growth and change at our beloved old building. New underpinning will be installed in the coming months, and our collections will be refreshed and catalogued so they’re readily available to the public on a regular basis.
We thank our outgoing officers, Ruth Goodrich, Brittany Butler, and Marcy Martin. They stepped forward at one of the hardest moments in our history. Coming out of the Covid closure, and grieving the loss of our long-time president Bonnie Dannenberg, the organization faced real uncertainty. These three took on a difficult situation that none of them asked for, gave freely of their time, and kept the doors open and the organization intact. We’re grateful for their service and wish them well.
The West Hill Schoolhouse
In 1970, Charles and Barbara Carpenter led a community effort to rescue the one-room West Hill School, once District No. 4. The Society persuaded the town to hand over the building, and with community support and grants it was repaired and became a home for the Society's meetings. In 1992, David Book — a teacher and later principal of Cabot School — and his Heritage Class completed the restoration, researching and displaying books, desks, and school maps to recreate a New England schoolhouse of the 1800s. Today it serves as a museum and learning center.
The Main Street Museum
Our two-story Main Street museum was itself once a village schoolhouse, District No. 8. Over the decades it served the International Organization of Good Templars, the Morrill Relief Corps, and the Modern Woodmen before being sold in 1947 — with a deed restriction, still in force, that it never be used for dancing. It housed a plumbing shop until 1978, when the Brimblecombe brothers sold it to the Society. Successive presidents and boards brought the electric service up to code, added display cases, a security system, new shelving, and a research center supported by computer files. A restored nineteenth-century stage curtain, painted with a woodland scene, hangs on the museum's stage on the second floor. Both floors have displays of donated or loaned artifacts and exhibits. The building keeps its original character — warmed in cold weather by a wood stove, and still without water, telephone, or central heat.
The Apple Pie Festival
For twenty years, on the Saturday after Columbus (Indigenous Peoples') Day, the Society's Apple Pie Festival sold hundreds of pies as dozens of bakers vied for recognition of their craft. It was our primary fundraiser until the Covid-19 pandemic paused in-person events.
Our Purpose
To promote respect and love for the history of Cabot, Vermont, and to aid its discovery, preservation, and study. The Society maintains two museums, studies the genealogy of early settlers and prominent citizens, protects local cemeteries and historic sites, helps preserve historic Cabot buildings, and records and publishes the documents and memories of the town's past.
The Cabot Historical Society is an independent, nonprofit, membership corporation, governed by its members and their elected officers. We welcome new members and volunteers, and gifts and grants are gratefully accepted to help us care for our collections, maintain our buildings, and bring history programs to the community.