Current Exhibits
“In the Blink of an Eye” by Douglas Mack
Fall 2025
In the Blink of an Eye represents five decades of Vergennes artist Douglas Mack’s photographic vision – from early black and white images taken with a Diana plastic camera, to vivid color pinhole photography and expansive drone-captured landscapes. All works are available for purchase; inquire at the circulation desk for details.
Daily Life in a Different Era
Summer – Winter 2025
Daily Life in a Different Era offers a glimpse into Vermont’s past—when butter was churned by hand, clothes were stitched at home, and staying in touch meant a handwritten letter or a knock at the door. Discover toys, textiles, and treasures—plus personal stories from right here in our five-town community. Now on display in the Kerr Room during the library’s open hours. Thank you to History Team Volunteer Nancy Remsen and Historical Collections Associate Kelly Bartlett for curating this stunning exhibit.
Community, Connection, & Correspondence
Spring – Fall 2025
Travel back in time with our new exhibit, to when letter writing was the primary form of communication. Using letters found in the Tucker Family Papers, the John Devotion Smith Papers, and our Postal Collection, learn more about our five-town area and the lives of local families, in their own words. The exhibit is located in the Half Round Room.
The Battle of Valcour Island
Winter 2024 – Fall 2025
A complicated and often maligned historical figure, there’s no question Benedict Arnold was a hero of our local waters’ naval battles. A new exhibit in Bixby Hall tells the story of Arnold and the 1776 Battle of Valcour Island through a unique fusion of history and art.
Using wood recovered from the wreck of the Congress, the late Lester Fleming Sr. and his family constructed a model of the row galley to show how it would have been during the critical Battle. With the model as centerpiece, dive into our storied local history, and learn how Arnold’s retreat and scuttling of his fleet halted British advances on Lake Champlain.
The Battle of Valcour Island exhibit was curated by History Team Volunteer, Nancy Remsen and Historical Collections Associate Kelly Bartlett. The exhibit can be enjoyed in Bixby Hall during the library’s open hours.
Jeptha Shedd: Passionate About Books
2024 – 2025
Jeptha Shedd was a passionate bookbinder who worked in downtown Vergennes during the 1820s and 1830s. In addition to binding books for customers, he also published and sold books—promoting them with detailed advertisements in the Vermont Aurora, a Vergennes newspaper. This new exhibit showcases three of the books Shedd published, generously loaned by Charles Clark of Babylon, New York, along with a collection of his original ads from the local newspaper. Thank you to Historical Collections Volunteer Nancy Remsen for curating this exhibit.
Josephine A. Meneely Paperweight Collection
2024 – 2025
The Josephine A. Meneely Paperweight Collection is now on display in Bixby Hall. Josephine Meneely was an art enthusiast and Ferrisburgh resident, and her gorgeous collection spans regions and years. Thank you to our Historical Collections Volunteers, Nancy Remsen, and Jamie Edwards-Orr, for curating this stunning physical and digital exhibit.
Check out our online database or visit the Bixby Library to see the complete paperweight collection.
Stone Tools Collection
2024 – 2025
Back in the ‘70s, the Bixby Library was a hotbed of ground-breaking archeological undertakings. Folks now known as luminaries in the field met here to form a highly active Vergennes Chapter of the Vermont Archeological Society. They stored and exhibited renowned collections of stone tools created by people thousands of years ago.
You can view an initial selection of these collections, along with 200-year-old objects unearthed on a dig at the homestead of Vergennes’ first European settlers, the McIntosh family, in the Half Round Room on the second floor. The Vermont Archaeological Society Papers, which document the early operations of the Society during the 1970s, are open for research in the Bixby’s archives. Please call or email us to make a research appointment.