Brattleboro Words Trail Podcast

Feb 19 2025 23 ep. 22 mins 3
Brattleboro Words Trail Podcast artwork

Meet fascinating writers past and present from Brattleboro, Vermont, America's most storied small town.

  Society & Culture  Arts  History
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Daisy Turner and Lucy Terry Prince: 'Now that's the truth'

Feb 19 2025 21 mins  
February is Black History Month, so we turn to two extraordinary Black women whose stories point to the important role Black people played in the shaping of Vermont. The episode begins with narrator explaining how Black stories have too often been under-appreciated. For instance, nobody knows Brattleboro's first black landowner, Benjamin Wheaton, an accomplished furniture maker and

Harris Hill Ski Jump and the 'Art of Flying'

Jan 27 2025 20 mins  
For more than 100 years, the Harris Hill Ski Jump has stood as a beacon on the local landscape. Every February, Harris Hill comes alive as thousands of people gather to watch ski jumpers from around the world soar above their heads at speeds up to 60 miles per hour. This episode brings the thrills of this event to life as jumpers fly, crowds roar and cowbells ring and the sensation

Tom Bodett: Maker of Stories

Dec 23 2024 27 mins  
Story-maker, writer, radio personality, woodworker and Brattleboro treasure Tom Bodett invites us into the story of his life in words -- and near death -- in the utterly straightforward and completely captivating way only he can. Tom's 'way with words' has fueled a fascinating life and career that has led him lately to open a woodworking school and gallery in the heart of Brattlebo

Margaret MacArthur, Marlboro Folk Music Legend

Nov 13 2024 36 mins  
College student Nora Rodes narrates this episode on folk legend Margaret MacArthur, whose love of music led her to preserve and document many old songs, creating a home in Marlboro Vermont, very close to Brattleboro, where she set down deep roots for her family and an extended folk family. Through Nora's storytelling and adroit use of multiple musical selections, we learn about Mar

Pablo Medina - River of Words

Oct 13 2024 33 mins  
Host introduces acclaimed writer Pablo Medina, originally from Havana, Cuba, who now lives in Williamsville, Vermont near Brattleboro. Medina will be featured as part of the October 18-20, 2024 Brattleboro Literary Festival reading mostly from his new book of poetry "Sea of Broken Mirrors". Medina reads 'Home in Vermont,' an essay he wrote specifically for the Brattleboro Words Tra

Jacob Estey & Estey Organ Company Reverberations

Sep 24 2024 27 mins  
Narrator Jon Potter of Latchis Arts in Brattleboro introduces Jacob Estey and the Estey Organ Company, builders of more than half a million musical instruments that traveled the globe with their prominent made in Brattleboro, Vermont, USA stamp. Jacob and his remarkable family, down through several generations, fed the dynamism and helped shape the personality of Brattleboro while

Two Judicial Legends: Judges James L. Oakes and Harlan Fiske Stone

Aug 12 2024 32 mins  
The episode begins with host introducing political science Professor Meg Mott, known as the ‘Constitution Wrangler’ who tackles issues regarding interpretation of US founding documents and the role of three branches of government. Mott will update info on the courts relating to two segments she helped produce on two judges who pertained to the Brattleboro area for the Brattlebo

The Enchanting Wesselhoeft Water-Cure

Jul 18 2024 28 mins  
The Brattleboro Hydropathy Establishment, better known as the Wesselhoeft Water-Cure, was the poshest medical 'spa' of its time, a celebrated mecca for mid nineteenth century writers, statesmen and advocates who flocked to 'the healing waters of Brattleboro' and guidance from one Dr. Robert Ferdinand Wesselhoeft. Among its many famous visitors were Harriet Beecher Stowe (Uncle Tom'

Two Inspiring Women: Eleanor Roosevelt and Wangari Maathai

Jun 12 2024 17 mins  
June is the month of graduations, and this episode tells the story of two strong and inspiring women whose words left an enduring impact on students -- and many others -- in the Brattleboro area. Invited to the Putney School commencement in June 1956 by its founder Carmelita Hinton, Eleanor Roosevelt encouraged graduates to be good global citizens. Narrator Anna Kusmer sets the sta

Life and Death of West River Railroad's JJ Green

May 11 2024 18 mins  
The old depot of the West River Railroad in Newfane Vermont was where Station Master JJ Green, a prominent citizen of the town who wore many hats, including telegraph operator and journalist, worked each day and kept a diary for the year 1885. The depot was lovingly restored in recent years by The Historical Society of Windham County into the West River Railroad museum, where the o