|

Weaving Vermont’s Textile History Into the Present with Manchester Historical Society

Manchester Community Library (MCL), in partnership with Manchester Historical Society (MHS), is proud to announce Threads of History, an interdisciplinary program series exploring the intersectionality of Vermont history through textiles, news, and society. Vermont Humanities is supporting the programs at the Library as part of its Fall Festival Series.

MCL and MHS drew inspiration for the initiative from the Vermont Reads 2026 selection, Charity and Sylvia by Tillie Walden. This groundbreaking graphic novel draws on the lives of its subjects, Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake, who lived as romantic partners and worked as seamstresses in early 19th-century Vermont. Threads of History uses their story as a springboard to examine how textile production shaped communities, commerce, and culture across southwestern Vermont, and how those threads connect to our nation’s history.

MCL Assistant Director and program organizer Paige Vignola shares her passion for this project:

    “History is not a document. Nor is it static. History is a living, breathing set of experiences unique to individuals who live through a shared time period… While most people think of history as something all-encompassing and strictly relegated to textbooks, in actuality, it is often the smallest experiences, often minimally recorded, that have the largest impact on the greater community. The Threads of History project aims to bring an interactive view of the past into the present. Through hands-on, multisensory experiences, MCL and MHS intend to draw audiences and workshop participants into auditory, visual, and tactile experiences of the 19th century.”

Three Foundational Workshops

Full Events List

BONUS!

Join us for our True Crime, Local Lore, and Comic Art zine-making workshop for adults and teens! Every fourth Saturday of the month through June 2027*, we’ll embrace the spirit of Tillie Walden’s work in Charity and Sylvia by creating our own mini-comics, inspired by Manchester Historical Society’s vast archives.

The Next Two Workshops:

*No workshop in December 2026