Vermont History and Context
These works provide the historical, geographic, economic, and cultural background needed to understand the development of Vermont’s industries and industrial landscapes. They are excellent starting points for readers new to the subject.
The Story of Vermont
Klyza, Christopher McGrory, and Stephen C. Trombulak. The Story of Vermont: A Natural and Cultural History. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1999.
Topics: Vermont history • Industrialization • Settlement • Transportation • Economic development
Why it’s useful: An excellent single-volume history of Vermont. While the entire book provides important context, Chapter 4, The Growth of Industry, is especially valuable for understanding how water power, manufacturing, transportation, and natural resources transformed Vermont’s economy during the nineteenth century. It serves as an outstanding introduction before diving into more specialized industrial history.
Industrial Archaeology
General references on industrial archaeology, field methods, documentation, and preservation.
Water Power & Mills
Books covering gristmills, sawmills, textile mills, paper mills, dams, canals, and water-powered industries.
Mining & Quarrying
Resources on Vermont’s granite, marble, slate, copper, talc, and other extractive industries.
Precision Manufacturing
Books covering machine tools, firearms manufacturing, precision engineering, and Vermont’s manufacturing innovations.
Railroads & Transportation
Resources on railroads, depots, bridges, canals, turnpikes, and industrial transportation.
Agriculture & Food Industries
Books about dairies, creameries, maple sugar, cider, grain milling, and agricultural processing.
Utilities & Infrastructure
References on hydroelectric power, electric utilities, waterworks, gas works, telecommunications, and public infrastructure.
Historic Preservation & Architecture
Books on preservation, adaptive reuse, historic engineering, industrial architecture, and cultural landscapes.
Maps & Atlases
Historic atlases, fire insurance maps, topographic maps, transportation maps, and cartographic resources.
Journals & Periodicals
Academic journals, newsletters, magazines, and recurring publications related to industrial archaeology and Vermont history.
Government Reports
Reports from state and federal agencies, archaeological surveys, engineering reports, and historic structure documentation.
Digital Resources
Online archives, digital collections, databases, and research websites.