| Stewart-Swift Research CenterThe Henry Sheldon Museum archives rank among the top research collections in the state of Vermont. The Stewart-Swift Research Center opened in 1972 to house and provide access to two centuries of extraordinarily rich primary source materials documenting Addison County history, most of which was collected by Henry Sheldon before his death in 1907.
Research Collection To search manuscript, book and pamphlet holdings, choose your keyword, enter your search term and click “Search.”
We are adding significant numbers of new links to this search engine at present, so check it often to see our updated holdings.
- Manuscripts Records of local businesses, organizations, farmers, lawyers and doctors, towns, school districts and churches; diaries and other personal and family papers, and more than 30,000 individually catalogued letters from the 18th- through the 20th-century.
 Ephemera More than two thousand 19th- through 20th-century posters, handbills, invitations, advertisements, almanacs, announcements, trade catalogues, etc.
- Maps Early surveys work, printed and hand-drawn local maps, other 19th-century maps
- Books & Pamphlets More than 4,000 volumes, including Middlebury imprints, state and local histories, and 18th- through 20th-century publications covering a broad range of subjects related to Vermont history
- Photographs More than 2,500 photographs, stereo-views, postcards and cartes de visite of Addison County scenes, buildings, events, and people, including the Lathrop collection of aerial views of western Vermont in the 1930s
- Newspapers Nearly every newspaper published in Middlebury from 1801 through the present
- Other Resources for Addison County History: There are numerous local sources which may be of interest listed here.
Services  Archival strengths include materials on religion, politics, agriculture, labor and industry, education and Middlebury College history, genealogy, architecture, women's history, temperance, abolition, the Civil War, the War of 1812, local recreation and tourism and medicine. Papers based on research conducted at the Stewart-Swift Research Center, many of which are on file in the archives, have earned Nuquist Awards from the Center of Research on Vermont at UVM. Images from the archives have appeared in scholarly works, periodical articles and commercial publications.
Copies & Publication
Copies of archival documents and photographs for approved uses are available. A fee schedule applies. Visits The Research Center is open to the public. Organized groups such as school and college classes must schedule appointments in advance. It is recommended that individual researchers call in advance. There is a $5.00 research fee for non-members. Members and students with ID no charge. Hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 1-5 p.m.,
Thursday 1-8 p.m. & by appointment.
We encourage appointments for doing research so that the staff can prepare for your visit in advance.
Closed between Christmas and New Year’s. | |
One of Vermont’s premier collections of furniture, paintings, documents
The Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History