A Brief History of the North Hero Historical Society
On June 13, 1989, a steering committee met on the front porch of the Clark homestead at the north end of the village to discuss forming a historical society for North Hero. Several meetings followed that summer to plan the organization. The North Hero Historical Society was officially founded in July 1989, and its first meeting was held July 20, 1989, at the newly renovated North Hero Methodist Church.
Charter members of the Society were as follows:
|
Olivia Beattie |
Melvin and Helen Kenny |
|
Kenneth and Berdena Bjork |
John King |
| Dorice Clark |
Mae Manning |
| Norman and Ethel Craig |
Edwards and Anne Porter |
|
Catherine Derby |
Jeanine and Larry Pratt |
| Joan and Louis Dorwaldt |
Karl and Christa Raacke |
| James and Tracy Giroux |
Maryann Squires |
| Reverend Charles Graham |
John and Joyce St. Peter |
| Paul and Mary Jane Healy |
Mary Lou Terko |
| Douglas Tudhope |
Margaret Whittlesey |
The Society met regularly in its early years, and today membership totals more than 200. Before the museum opened, the Society hosted cultural programs, speakers, and field trips while gradually building a collection of artifacts. In 1999, that goal was realized when the Hookenspoon—a historic home in the center of North Hero Village—was gifted to the Society.
In 2007, the Society began a multimillion-dollar renovation of the North Hero Community Hall. The 10-year effort limited how much we could do with local history, artifacts, and programming. In 2023, the Society returned the fully renovated, historic Community Hall to the town.
Today, the museum is open on summer weekends and features a rich collection of North Hero artifacts and memorabilia.
We have returned to our core mission: to preserve and share the history of North Hero and its people.