ALEX LEHNING

ST. ALBANS – It was 150 years ago next month that a group of armed Confederates launched a raid in downtown St. Albans, robbed three banks, killed one man, wounded several others and took off with bags of money.

The St. Albans Raid became known as the northernmost engagement in the Civil War and is re-enacted on regular basis in the Franklin County city. This year a special four-day event has been planned to mark the 150th anniversary in September.

The history of the Raid and other rich details of life St. Albans can be found in the St. Albans Historical Society & Museum, located downtown on Taylor Park.

The St. Albans Raid: How it unfolded

Return to the bygone days in Milton

But St. Albans history is more than this famous event and the museum celebrates the community's heritage.

The museum was originally called the Franklin County Museum and today the St. Albans Historical Society is proud of their mission and tradition to preserve, collect, and share the stories that make up our common heritage. They believe that St. Albans has a unique story to tell, and a special place in the history of Vermont.

Former grammar school

The museum is housed in the former Franklin County Grammar School, where, for more than a century, the students of St. Albans made this building a center of scholarship, sports, and citizenship. Constructed in 1860 to 1861 in the Renaissance Revival style, it replaced two earlier schools — the first built in 1800, the second in 1828 — which were previously located on theproperty, at the corner of modern-day Church and Bishop streets.

The first two floors of the Franklin County Grammar School housed classrooms for first to eighth grades. The top floor, Academy Hall, was used for student assemblies and community gatherings.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the museum features displays on topics of regional and national interest. Visitors can tour two floors of exhibit spaces highlighting artifacts, photographs, and narratives of everyday workers, businesspeople, civic and religious leaders, families, and military veterans who contributed to life in St. Albans as we understand it today.

Spotlight on Smith family

The Smith Room features the stories of several generations of a prominent family with St. Albans ties: John Smith, John Gregory Smith, Worthington Smith, and Edward C. Smith, who were all successful Vermont or U.S. politicians. They were also entrepreneurs, industrialists, civic leaders, and philanthropists. The Railroad Room is dedicated to the story of the Central Vermont Railway, which established its headquarters and manufacturing/maintenance facilities in St. Albans in 1860-1861. Known as the "Rail City," our community has long served as a commercial crossroads for Vermont and New England.

Guests can also discover the story of the St. Albans Raid — a daring maneuver by Confederate soldiers to rob local banks in October 1864. Additional displays share the stories and objects of daily life, local industry, education, and medicine from the late 19th and early-mid 20th centuries in St. Albans.

Story of the battery plant

For the 2014 season, the museum introduced a number of new exhibits: "Lighting the Way" highlights the story of the St. Albans Eveready/Energizer plant, featuring artifacts and photographs from a local commercial landmark which recently closed. "People of the Dawn Land" is a returning display which provides insights into regional Abenaki history and archaeology. Our newest addition, "St. Albans, 1864"profiles the military, social, and economic history of our community, which survived the northernmost land action of the Civil War.

Sharing the stories of those who took part, and how it affected their lives before and after October 1864, the exhibit will also examine how the legacy of the St. Albans Raid has been shared through the years. Finally, "What's New at the Museum?" features a rotating selection of recent donations.

The museum encourages area residents with stories, objects, or images that relate to the history of the St. Albans region to donate or share those memories.

In the spring of 2011, a diverse group of St. Albans residents began meeting at the St. Albans Historical Society & Museum (from whose third floor schoolchildren may have witnessed the raid itself). Their aim was to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Raid for what it was — a difficult day in a difficult period of national strife — to recall those who were involved on both sides of the struggle, and to note the change that has followed them.

In the process, the St. Albans Raid Commemoration Committee, comprised of historians, current and past community officials, respected military veterans, and volunteers from all walks of life, have given hundreds of hours to plan for the Sept. 18-21 commemoration events. The stateof Vermont has bestowed upon it the title of Vermont's Most Significant Civil War Event for 2014. Further details, including a schedule of events, are available at www.stalbansraid.com.

In addition to hosting a regular lecture series and historical programs and events, they are currently completing work on several grant-funded educational projects to bring local history to life in area classrooms and for visiting students.

Alex Lehning is executive director of the St. Albans Historical Society & Museum.

If you go

The St. Albans Historical Society & Museum is open until Oct. 11; Tuesday — Friday from 1-4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. You can plan your visit and learn more about at www.stamuseum.org.