BRATTLEBORO, VT—January 16, 2018—Join Peoples, Places, and the History of Words in Brattleboro, Vermont (The Words Project) on Wednesday, January 24, 2018 at 118 Elliot from 6-7 pm for a presentation and discussion on the water cures of the mid- to late-1800s and their connection to our literary history. The land on which the 118 Elliot and Brattleboro Fire Department buildings now sit was once home to natural water springs believed to have curative effects. Patients flocked to the cures, most famously to Dr. Robert Wesselhoeft’s (at the site of the current Fire Station ) to drink and bathe in the spring-fed waters, hoping the water therapy would relieve any number of ailments from epilepsy to melancholia. And not just any patients—literary greats Harriet Beecher Stowe and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, among many,, sought respite and relief at these sites, and Wesselhoeft was the inspiration for one of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s characters. Free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
The Words Project is a multi-year community research initiative backed by a National Endowment for the Humanities matching grant that will produce walking, biking, and driving podcast tours of the Brattleboro area, a book, and exhibits celebrating our area’s rich history of words. Each month, The Roundtable Discussion Series will present research and open a discussion on a different, “words-related” site in the Brattleboro area. Please come share your stories and thoughts with our research teams and scholars. Visit www.brattleboro.com/words and www.facebook.com/BrattleboroWords/ for more