Little people’s village may be destroyed

#MiddleburyCT #LittlePeoplesVillage By DR. ROBERT L. RAFFORD More than any other historical site in Middlebury, one fabled plot of land holds a mysterious landmark. Since my appointment ... Continue Reading →

Monument will honor Rochambeau

#MiddleburyCT #Rochambeau By DR. ROBERT L. RAFFORD When the Pasko family of Middlebury recently toured the museum in the Middlebury Historical Society’s building, we pointed out ... Continue Reading →

The Saga of Bessie Webster – Part V

By DR. ROBERT L. RAFFORD Part V of V – By November 1913, the fates of Bessie Wakefield and James Plew had been sealed by the court: death by hanging. Suffragists from across the ... Continue Reading →

The Saga of Bessie Webster – Part IV

#MiddleburyCT #BessieWebster #Wakefield By DR. ROBERT L. RAFFORD Part IV of V – As the investigation into the murder of William O. Wakefield continued, the evidence against James ... Continue Reading →

The Saga of Bessie Webster – Part III

#MiddleburyCT #BessieWebster #Wakefield By DR. ROBERT L. RAFFORD Part III of V – The April 1913 move from Middlebury to South Street in Bristol for Bessie (Webster) Wakefield and ... Continue Reading →

The Saga of Bessie Webster – Part II

#MiddleburyCT #BessieWebster By DR. ROBERT L. RAFFORD Part II of V – Betsey “Bessie” Webster, a Native American woman, was born into poverty in Middlebury, Connecticut, on September ... Continue Reading →

Middlebury’s Center Schoolhouse – Part III of III

#MiddleburyCT #CenterSchool By DR. ROBERT L. RAFFORD Following the death of Elise Hamilton (Myers) Bristol (b. 1879) in 1924, her husband, Professor William Henry Bristol (1859-1930), ... Continue Reading →

Middlebury’s Center Schoolhouse – Part II of III

#MiddleburyCT #CenterSchool By DR. ROBERT L. RAFFORD John Howard Whittemore’s offer to build a new Center School was part of a larger plan for Middlebury Center. It was he who had ... Continue Reading →

Middlebury’s Center Schoolhouse – Part I of III

#MiddleburyCT #CenterSchool By DR. ROBERT L. RAFFORD Last year marked the 125th anniversary of the Center School building, located off the Green on Library Road (so named because Center ... Continue Reading →

Middlebury history includes domestic violence

#MiddleburyCT #DomesticViolence This article was originally published in the May 2022 issue of the Middlebury Bee-Intelligencer. By DR. ROBERT L. RAFFORD Middlebury, like the rest ... Continue Reading →