Historical Society marks Memorial Day with weekend museum hours, ceremony, & Ghost Walk
May 20, 2025 | By Cheryl Casey | Correspondent The Waterbury Historical Society celebrates Memorial Day this weekend with special hours and exhibits at the History Center, and a Monday commemoration ceremony with the American Legion at Hope Cemetery followed by the 19th annual Ghost Walk.
The front section of the Waterbury municipal offices is the Janes House, home to the Waterbury History Center. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
The History Center, located in the historic Dr. Janes House at 28 N. Main St., will be open to visitors from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. The museum’s exhibits cover highlights of Waterbury's history, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp Smith at Little River, the Vermont State Hospital, and the founding of WDEV Radio Vermont. In addition, an exhibit on Waterbury’s schools has been updated and redesigned.
A new exhibit focuses on the Grand Army of the Republic, a veteran’s organization founded in 1866 for honorably discharged members of the Union Army after the Civil War. On May 5, 1868, the national Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, General John A. Logan, ordered all posts to observe a day of remembrance on May 30 by decorating the graves of Civil War soldiers. New York was the first state to adopt Decoration Day – as Memorial Day was originally known – in 1873. The remaining Union states, including Vermont, all followed suit by 1890.
Waterbury and Waterbury Center each had a Grand Army of the Republic post: Edwin Dillingham Post 22 in Waterbury and Ezra Stetson Post 72 in the Center. Both men served in Company B of the 10th Vermont Volunteer Infantry. They were killed in action in Virginia within months of each other during the summer of 1864.
The historical society’s collections include a number of papers, ledgers, and booklets from both posts, as well as a reunion photograph and a large, leather-bound volume of personal war sketches compiled by the Dillingham Post’s historian, Edwin Well. A centerpiece of the new exhibit at the History Center, the volume contains personal narratives submitted by many of Waterbury’s surviving Civil War veterans, including such familiar names as Dr. Henry Janes and Colonel William Wirt Henry.
Memorial Day schedule
Members of the Waterbury American Legion post will hold a Memorial Day ceremony at 11 a.m. on Monday at Hope Cemetery. File photo by Mike Woodard
On Memorial Day, the public is invited to Hope Cemetery, behind the Waterbury Congregational Church, in downtown Waterbury at 11 a.m. for a traditional remembrance ceremony led by members of American Legion Post 59.
Waterbury Historical Society’s annual Ghost Walk will immediately follow the ceremony. The Ghost Walk each year selects figures from Waterbury's history for presentations on their lives and accomplishments.
The Waterbury Historical Society's 19th Annual Ghost Walk will take place in Hope Cemetery on Monday. File photo by Lisa Scagliotti
This year’s program will feature the three stories of past Waterbury individuals:
Railroad station agent Andrew Brown, who lived on Main Street in the late 1800s and was employed by the Central Vermont Railroad as a station agent. A Central Vermont Railroad Historical Society member who likewise worked as a station agent will give this presentation.
The adventuring Hobart brothers of Shaw Mansion who headed west to seek their fortunes in search of silver and gold. Skip Flanders will share their story.
Roy Arnold, who loved the circus and spent over 30 years hand-carving small horses, clowns, animals, and fancy wagons to create the giant model circus parade found today at Shelburne Museum’s horseshoe-shaped Circus Building. Arnold’s grandson will share his story.
History Center admission is free, as are all of the Memorial Day events. Monday’s program is rain or shine, and attendees are welcome to bring a folding chair.
Cheryl Casey is president of the Waterbury Historical Society.