The Historical Society has long been actively involved with our local schools. Students from Thetford Elementary School have visited the Library, complimenting their study of Colonial America. Students are able to look at our Charter, printed proclamations by Vermont's early governors, and other primary source documents from that era. We have a number of state and local maps, which have been examined as references for student mapping projects, and children enjoy looking at Thetford's 1877 School District Map, imagining what it would have been like to attend a one-room schoolhouse near your home. The Kindergarten classes borrow artifacts from us, in a comparison of "now and then", and they enjoy old photos of Thetford school children and other sights around town. Classes have traveled to the Barn Museum for field trips, and have enjoyed a day-long Revolutionary War era encampment on the Common.

     Thetford Academy students also utilize our resources during the course of their studies. The seventh grade classes travel to our Library for several days of research on Thetford's Civil War veterans, focusing on one cemetery each year. This work culminates into a published Civil War Cemetery Quest, which is a great way for families to spend an afternoon. Copies of the Thetford Center and North Thetford Cemetery Quests are available at the Historical Library. Look for Post Mills, part 1, coming in 2011.

     Older students at the Academy undertake semester long history projects, and also use our archives for research. This year, these students took on topics including Asa Burton, the Worcester and Closson Nursery, the Thetford Pageant, and an oral history interview of Charles Latham. Students visited and performed research, both during their class time and after school hours.

     Learning doesn't end after High School, and we've assisted a number of college students with term papers and projects. We've also had visiting scholars come to Thetford to research Dean Worcester and the Phillippines, early Thetford Academy correspondence, village improvement societies, and Civil War veterans. Look for a special program this summer on General Gustavus Loomis, Thetford born and West Point educated, who went on to be the oldest living soldier on active duty during the Civil War. Research by Army Chaplain Ken Lawson resulted in a book on this remarkable man. Ken will be in Thetford this summer as part of our 250th celebration.

     The diverse collection at the Historical Society spans the full history of our town and local area, making it an ideal resource for students of all ages. We welcome visits by school groups at our Library, and at the Barn Museum. Teachers in Thetford and surrounding towns, and parents of homeschooled children are encouraged to contact us, to see if we might be able to supplement your classroom studies, either through visits to our Library, our Barn Museum, or through the loan of artifacts from our collection.