st. albans historical society

The people were very nice and helpful. The did a good job of handling the 150th year celebration of the Saint Albnas Raid, the farthest north the Confederates raided.

We spent two hours here because we are from St Albans England, which is the namesake of this St Albans. Everyone was very friendly and interested to hear about our St Albans and tell us about theirs. Very good displays and would love to revisit.

We stopped in early June, 2014. St. Albans was a huge railroading town, they were the site of the northernmost CSA raid on a Union town during the Civil War, and now the entire old school building is a museum to St. Albans history. They have recreated the old barber shop, the doctors office, a major area to the St. Albans raid in 1864, significant displays and rooms devoted to railroad history and much more. There were excellent local docents providing additional information and a good selection of books and items in their gift shop. This and Sherburne were the highlights of our trip to Northern Vermont.

St. Albans was a railroad town, and is "famous" for being the site of the "northernmost Civil War action." Note that I say "action" not battle, but the story of the St. Albans Raid is certainly interesting. Give this local museum a chance, and you won't be disappointed.

Visited last summer and hope to go back again this year. Very informative on the rich history of the St. Albans area. I never knew the intrigue of the Civil War reached so far north. Well worth the entry fee. I think it was only 6 dollars or so for adults. We took about 90 minutes or so to take it all in. Staff are very pleasant. Overall well worth a visit.

What a gem in the north of VT! This museum has been thoroughly improved since our last visit. The $6 admission is well worth the history and information that you get. The staff are helpful, knowledgeable, and truly interested in the history of the area. As an extra, if you go on Saturday morning, you can also visit the nearby Farmer's Market in the park. We had a great Saturday in St. Albans. Plan to spend at least two hours inside the museum.

The Historical Museum is a little gem with a varied and fascinating collection of artifacts. It’s also THE place to get information on the St. Albans Raid of 1864; the northernmost land action of the American Civil War. The staff was friendly and helpful, and there's a small shop with books and souvenirs.

What a wonderful find!! My wife and I were twiddling aimlessly about Vermont peeping at Fall leaves when we stumbled upon the town square (Taylor Park) in St. Albans with this little historical museum on its high side.The museum wasn't open yet when we arrived so we lunched at the nearby seafood restaurant and returned at 1 p.m. when the docents opened it up. BECAUSE OF LIMITED OPERATING DATES AND HOURS, be sure to check their schedule online or call first: open late May thru early October only: 1 - 4 pm Tuesday - Friday and 10 am - 2 pm Saturday.Admission is very low-cost - $5/adult, $2/child (6 - 14) - and goes directly to the museum's preservation efforts. They don't have a bookstore but a bookshelf, per se, of mostly area-specific histories and essays who's proceeds help the same.There are two floors with several great rooms of exhibits to wander in and out of. One of our favorites was the room dedicated to war memorabilia from area residents spanning two centuries of American warfare, from pre-Civil to Indian to World War to current conflicts. There was everything from flags, medals, uniforms, boots, rifles and sabres, spent bullets and shells, patches, pictures from so many wars, even a small signal cannon. Other rooms had the consummate local estate donations, giant stuffy portraits, and momentos from and of the area's noteworthy. Most notably, however, are the rooms dedicated to the two major things that helped shape and characterize St. Albans' past: the area's railroad industry and the Confederate raid on St. Albans.St. Albans was a major part of the railroad networks in this neck of the country. One room has lots of great pieces of train memorabilia that will excite even the most well-versed of train aficionados!In October 1864, as the Federals gained momentum sweeping through the Southern states, 21 Confederate calvarymen entered Vermont from Canada with two objectives: secure a cash infusion to buoy ailing monetary reserves in the South's war-torn coffers and attempt to skirmish the Federal troop masses in the South into breaking off their invasion and withdrawing to protect their northern borders. Some believe the raiders had further hoped that Federal pursuers chasing them into Canada would trigger the Canadians to enter the war in support of the Confederate States of America which Canada already loosely recognized. Known today as St. Albans Raid, it was a completely one-sided action in which townspeople were held hostage, many forced to pledge allegiance to the South, while several banks were robbed. In the end, one townsperson was killed and the raiders fled back into Canada. Canada refused U.S. demands to extradite them back to the United States on the grounds that they were soldier combatants, not criminals - again, due in part to that loose acknowledgement of the CSA.Newspaper articles, pictures, memorabilia, and a very large-scale diarama of the city and the entire event including the aftermath really teaches you about the Civil War's most northern engagement!And while most of the structures which stood witness to this 1864 event are gone now, few remain including one of the banks and Taylor Park itself. Museum docents are more than happy to point you on your way around the town and just outside along the town square if you want to see all the sites in person. 5-stars for the great job these dedicated volunteers do for this small community and visitors like us!So if you're visiting this part of Vermont, add St. Albans to your itinerary for lunch and an hour at St. Albans Historical Society!

Small museum with lots of info. Can have guided tour or go on your own. Staff was very knowledgeable about everything. Interesting artifacts.

The Historical Museum has upgraded itself over the last several years to include an elevator as well as revamping of several of the major exhibits. There is something here for young and old alike and a years' membership is quite reasonable and will help them continue their work in adding additional exhibits of interest. Beautiful space for meetings, dinners or weddings as well in the third floor auditorium.

They have done a wonderful job of preserving the history of the area - lots of war memorabilia to keep you interested.

Nice themed rooms give the visitor a good chance to see the artifacts close up. Limited heat because of the size of the building this is a place best visited in clement weather or when equipped with your overcoat.