History of the Museum

The first train arrived in Brattleboro from Boston on February 20, 1849 on the tracks of the newly constructed Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad. With the railroad came the faster pace of modern life and the promise of economic development, but on September 1, 1966 the Central Vermont and the Boston & Main terminated regular passenger service and the Union Station was closed, ending the era of the railroad. The station that symbolized that era was threatened with demolition until it was saved and reopened as the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center on September 10, 1972.

From 1849 – 1966, the railroadserved as the town’s link to the outside world, and the railroad station was the busiest place in town. In the days before radio and television, all news of world affairs came by train or telegraph. Before the interstate highway system, goods were shipped and received, and most travelers came and went by train. Today there are few trains, but Union Station is still a busy place, serving as a link to the world of art and as a community center.

The present Union Station is the third of Brattleboro’s three stations. The first was a modest frame structure that still stands across the tracks and behind the present building. In 1880 an ornate brick station was built and served the town until 1916, when the Union Station was opened.

Construction on the new station began on August 14, 1915 after years of controversy involving the Central Vermont Railway, the Boston & Main Railroad, the town of Brattleboro, the state legislature, and the Public Service Commission.

As John Stilgoe has said in Metropolitan Corridor, during the period from 1880 to 1930 the railroad changed the way people thought about travel and distance. Distances became less important, since people were no longer tied to the pace of foot travel or animal power. Commuting became a way of life in the cities, and goods and services were available regionally, as well as locally. Long-distance travel on plush coaches or Pullman cars was possible and even commonplace. The railroad came to represent all that was modern.

Locally, the Union Station served as a hub of activity for the town. As many as 18 trains a day stopped, and even people who were not traveling came to pass the time of day. All mail came by train, and newspapers from Springfield and Boston arrived in the early hours. All travelers passed through the marble corridor leading from the waiting room to the stairways to the tracks below. Baggage and express services were handled out of the office at the south end of the building. Freight for the town’s burgeoning industry passed through the separate freight station to the south.

During the 1950?s, the construction of the interstate highway system, the popularity of air travel, and new forms of communication reduced Brattleboro’s dependence on the railroad as its primary link to the outside world, and the automobile replaced it as the principle mode of transportation. The modern world bypassed the railroad.

In 1966, passenger service was discontinued at the Union Station, and two years later the walkway over the track was dismantled. The station deteriorated and was sold to the town. When it was threatened by demolition in 1972, a determined group of residents rescued the station in hopes of transforming it into a community art center and history museum.

The grand opening of the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center was September 10, 1972. In 1974, 58 years after it opened, the Union Station became the town’s first building to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This was a unique honor, since such a distinction is limited to buildings of special merit which are at least 50 years old.

In 1973, Amtrak reinstated The Montrealer, which continues to run today. There is a small waiting room in the basement of the building, but tickets are sold elsewhere. The real life of the building is as a cultural center.

During the 1970?s, a dedicated group of volunteers ran the museum, producing as many as ten different exhibits a year. In 1981, the first professional director, W. Ron Foulds, was hired to run the museum. Soon the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center became known for its professional exhibits.

There are no longer 18 trains a day at the Union Station, but the building that was almost lost has regained its role as a hub of activity. In 1916, the Brattleboro Reformer stated, “The new station is a structure in which the community can take pride…” In 1972, Helene Druhl told the Brattleboro selectmen, “Once we get started, the possibilities are endless.” These statements are as true today as they were then.

Helene J. Henry and Bruce M. Mosley, Guest Curators