5Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Arvin A. Brown Library
Richford, Vermont
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Richford.
1879 to 2014Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
38,368Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Richford, Vermont.
Explore the past of Richford, Vermont through newspapers as well as yearbooks and annuals in the Arvin A. Brown Library's digital archive. Its five titles include material from 1879 to 2014.
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Selected titles
The collection from Arvin A. Brown Library includes “Journal Gazette” and “Yearbooks”.
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Free and open access
No subscription or payment required.
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Different views of the past
Yearbooks and annuals bring together the people and activities their editors chose to remember, offering a view of life within a particular year. An earlier generation comes into view through the stories its newspapers chose to report, placing familiar names and events within the concerns of their time.
Reporting from the time can reveal how people described the events, work and concerns of their day, placing a local story within the history unfolding around it. Whether you are tracing a family connection, exploring a local event or sharing history with a class, there is more to discover than names and dates alone. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.
Explore the collection
Titles in this collection
Browse five titles and 38,368 digitized pages, with material from 1879 to 2014. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Arvin A. Brown Library shares these sources from the past. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
Explore the titles below for a closer look at the places, people and everyday life of earlier generations.
Journal Gazette
5,918 pages from 1950 to 1957
Richford Gazette
19,854 pages from 1879 to 1927
Richford Journal
32 pages from 1901 to 1922
Richford Journal and Gazette
16 pages in 1927
Yearbooks
12,548 pages from 1928 to 2014
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About the Library
About The Arvin A. Brown Library
The Arvin A. Brown Library was founded in 1895 when farmer and lumberman Arvin A. Brown left his entire estate to the people of the Town of Richford. Initially housed in the Bank Block (the Masonic Hall) on Main Street, the library moved to the present Town Hall in 1915 after the Trustees negotiated to buy and remodel the Union Church building. When more space was needed, the library moved to its current location in 1984, after the Trustees provided funds for the Town to purchase the “Guertin House.” These funds included grants from HUD, the Vermont Department of Libraries, and a bequest from the estate of Estelle Lahue. The library is governed by a five-member elected Board of Trustees, which meets almost every month at the library at 4:30 p.m. on the third Monday. Special meetings are announced by notices at the Town Hall and in the Courier. The public is always welcome to attend.
Library History
The History Of The Arvin A. Brown Library
The Arvin A. Brown Library has been a cornerstone of the Richford community since its founding in 1895. Over the years, the library has evolved to meet the needs of the community, moving to larger facilities and expanding its collections and services. Today, the library is housed in the historic “Guertin House,” a testament to the community’s commitment to preserving its cultural heritage.
About the Community
About The Town of Richford, Vermont
Richford, Vermont, established in 1780, is a small town with a rich history. Located near the Canadian border, Richford has long been a hub for trade and commerce. The town is known for its picturesque landscapes, historic buildings, and strong sense of community. The Arvin A. Brown Library plays a vital role in preserving and sharing the town's history, offering residents and visitors alike a glimpse into the past.
Local History
Did You Know?
Richford, Vermont, is home to the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail, a 26-mile-long recreational trail that follows the path of the former Central Vermont Railway. This scenic trail offers stunning views of the Missisquoi River and the surrounding countryside, making it a popular destination for hiking, biking, and snowshoeing. The Arvin A. Brown Library was originally housed in the Union Church building, which dates back to the 19th century. The building served as the library's home for nearly 70 years before the library moved to its current location in the “Guertin House.”
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Look beyond a familiar name
A family name, a familiar street or a story passed down through generations can lead to a closer look at the history of Richford. The digital archive shared by the Arvin A. Brown Library offers a place to begin. When exploring a yearbook or annual, consider clubs, activities, captions, and the surrounding pages as well as individual names. These details can offer glimpses of everyday life and help you place a person within the school or community of their time.
Where the available dates overlap, use a name, activity, or organization in a yearbook or annual as a starting point for a newspaper search. Compare the details carefully; a similar name is a lead to investigate, not an identification by itself.
Keep the title, date, page or item reference with each useful finding. Separate the words in a historical account from your interpretation, and note conflicting perspectives rather than choosing one too quickly. These notes help you connect a local story to its evidence and explain what remains uncertain.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Arvin A. Brown Library, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.
Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.
Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.
Learn about partnerships
Stories, research tips, and archive news
Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.
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It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?
We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
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