About Us
Pownal Historical Society, Inc. is a 501(c)3, not for profit corporation, founded in 1994 for the purpose of capturing, preserving, and sharing Pownal’s history. We take our mission, goals and our role as historians very seriously. We are proud to be the Keeper of Pownal’s history and are dedicated to keeping it safe and available to all.
For more than 25 years, we have shown our dedication by hosting hundreds of Presentations and Events pertaining to Pownal and surrounding areas. We maintain relationships with other groups and organizations as well as the town governing body and provide assistance whenever we can. Some examples include:
Helping hundreds of researchers working on their Family History. Genealogy plays a big role in our Society’s contribution to preserving Pownal’s history. Pownal shows up in many family histories for ancestors came to or through Pownal from RI, MA, and CT.
Sharing Pownal’s history with Pownal Elementary School 4th grade students for 13 years including helping them to write a book each year on a Pownal subject. Donating dictionaries to every third grader each year for many years. Supplying the School with a flag and flagpole, and classroom equipment.
Financially supporting meaningful causes in our Community including the Pownal Center Community Church Steeple Restoration Fund, Solomon Wright Public Library, Fire Department, Community Christmas Tree Lighting, Churches and more.
PHS played a major role in celebrating Pownal’s 250th Anniversary in 2010 by hosting a Town wide Birthday Party which included the reading of Pownal’s Charter. Governor James H. Douglas attended at our invitation.
Researched, surveyed and sought designation from the State of Vermont for the Pownal Center Historic District, a uniquely preserved road in the center of town. The new Historic District was dedicated in 2010 with a Ceremony and installation of a bronze plaque designed and donated by PHS.
A walking tour of the district is available through PHS.
The Pownal Historical Society is proud to be a community organization. We care about Pownal’s future as well as it’s history. This is why we played a major role in finally getting a new Town Hall for Pownal, something the Town had been trying to accomplish for over 20 years. The Society’s concept not only got a Yes Vote from Taxpayers but it saved a Historic 1812 one room school house.
In 2017 the Historical Society was approached by the Pownal School District to take ownership of the one room school house. It was sitting on private property and needed to be moved. At one of the PHS Board meetings, while discussing how we could afford to save it, where to put it, how much would it cost, etc. one of our Board Members came up with the idea of moving it to the Pownal Center Historic District and incorporating it into a new Town Hall. We loved the idea. Hence the journey began. For the next 4 years the Society went through the hoops and loops. Fortunately the Board Member with the idea is also a designer and builder so she got to work drawing up the concept. She and another member of the Board went on the road, as they say, going to meetings of different Committees and Boards, holding meetings and events, speaking to Pownal groups and making a model that was moved throughout the villages and put on display. The concept was to attach the school to the new Town Hall, using the school room as a Select Board and community meeting room, with a room underneath to be used as the PHS Center. It took years of presenting, petitioning, meeting, voting and listening to each other but finally the Voters said Yes. The Society is proud that our Concept was chosen to be Pownal’s new Town Hall. At this writing, in November 2021, the new Town Hall is near completion and the 1812 School House is planned to be moved in the spring of 2022 to its final home, to continue its life of service to the Town of Pownal. PHS looks forward to many more years of service to our Town in our new home under the School House.
Photo by Carl Villanueva
We are proud to be a part of Pownal’s community and look forward to the coming years.
The purpose of this website is to share Pownal’s rich history, beautiful landscape, and present day assets, as well as the stories of its residents. We recognize that it is incomplete and look forward to adding more information. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions, comments, or suggestions via the Contact Us page. Thank you for your help.