On March 4th, the Vermont Historical Society (VHS) announced the final stage of its Saving Vermont’s Treasures campaign.

In her remarks at the event celebrating the launch, VHS President Sarah Dopp noted that March 4th, in addition to being the 220th anniversary of Vermont’s becoming the 14th U.S. state, was also a &#8220punny&#8221 call to action for VHS to &#8220march forth,&#8221 in the final leg of our $900,000 capital campaign.

The campaign, which had raised $815,225 as of March 4th, needs $84,775 more to reach the $900,000 goal. President Dopp noted that the remaining $84,775 &#8220will be the hardest part of the campaign.&#8221

The Saving Vermont’s Treasures campaign will create three new gallery spaces for rotating exhibitions at the Vermont History Center in Barre, allowing Vermonters and other visitors to explore new aspects of Vermont’s heritage through the Society’s collections. &#8220For years, people have been asking us to display more artifacts,&#8221 noted Mark Hudson,

VHS executive director. &#8220With this campaign, we will finally have the gallery space to do so.&#8221 The campaign also will help to preserve the bell tower, a distinctive feature of the historic History Center building, for generations to come.

The capital campaign launch celebration featured music by Colin McCaffrey and a presentation by Marselis Parsons, who offered highlights of his personal experiences with historical events in Vermont during his many years as a WCAX news anchor.

If you’d like more information on the campaign, contact Amy Sholk, VHS Capital Campaign Assistant, at (802) 479-8525 or [email protected].