November

November

November 2, 1954 

Consuelo Northrop Bailey was the first woman elected lieutenant governor of any state in the United States. In 1953 she was the first woman elected speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives; at that time, there were fifty-two women in the Vermont legislature, more than any state had ever had. During her career, Consuelo Northrop Bailey ran for office twenty-four times and won twenty-four times.

November 4, 1927

Vermont experienced the worst flood in its history. Over 9 inches of rain fell in two days causing rivers, fields, and roads to flood. 

Rain, Rain, and Still More Rain (PDF)

November 6, 1902 

A big meeting in Manchester stops the building of an electric trolley car system. People fear that the noise of the cars and the ugly electric wires will keep away tourists.

November 6, 1984 

Madeleine Kunin was elected the first woman governor in the history of the state of Vermont. She was reelected two years later by a slim margin when she ran against Peter Smith and Bernie Sanders. 

Who was a Vermont in the 1980s?

November 8, 1805 

Montpelier was selected as Vermont's official capital. 

Mom, There's a Legislator in Our Kitchen (PDF)
Vermont Government Finds a Home (PDF)

November 13, 1833 

On this night Vermonters were treated to a great meteor shower. A witness in Reading, Vermont, described it like this: The meteoric shower of November 13, 1833, was one of the most wonderful sights I ever witnessed. The night was perfectly clear, and about ten o'clock the display began. Thousands of meteors fell, some of them of dazzling brilliance. The flashing was incessant, many of the same time falling in all directions. Some were awakened from sleep by the glare, and the superstitious thought that the end of the world had come.

November 18, 1989

The Montshire Museum of Science had its grand opening in Norwich. The Montshire is a museum that shows people how cool science is. The museum started in Hanover, New Hampshire before moving to Vermont.

November 22, 1837

After a rebellion of French Catholics in Lower Canada fails, its leader, Louis Joseph Papineau, and other rebels flee to Swanton, St. Albans, Highgate, and other northern Vermont towns.

November 24, 1881

On this day, Alexander Crowell shot and killed the last catamount in Vermont.  In the wild, catamounts ate deer and other animals. But in the 1800s, farmers had cut down many trees and turned forests into farms. Without the trees, there were not as many deer as before. The catamounts started eating sheep that lived on farms. The farmers and hunters killed the panthers to protect their sheep.

November 26, 1930

The Flynn Theater in Burlington opened. The theater had comedy shows and motion pictures (early movies). The Flynn is named for John J. Flynn. He was a rich businessman who lived in Burlington. Today, the Flynn hosts live shows and puts on camps and classes for students.

November 30, 2018

Workers installed the third statue of Ceres on top of the Vermont State House. This Ceres statue, carved by Chris Miller of Calais, replaced the second Ceres. There have been three statues of the Goddess of Agriculture on the State House. The first two, made of wood, rotted and needed to be replaced.

Embodiment of Agriculture (video)
Ceres II (video)