Holiday Festival

Holiday Festival

December 6 from 4-7 as part of the Johnson Holiday Festival the Historical Society will be open serving cookies and cider.  There will be Holiday Stories read to children who attend under the tree.  

Capital Campaign

Capital Campaign

Welcome and thank you for coming to help us celebrate the completion of our pie! You are
some of the many donors who have made this celebration possible.
After the 2014 Town Meeting when the voters approved the purchase of the Holcomb House
for the Johnson Historical Society and we agreed to reimburse the town, some of us thought:
How are we going to raise $300,000? We can’t do it with pies? Can we do it?

Early on Bill Jaspersohn met with members of the Johnson Historical Society and shared
information about fundraising. Then the Building Fund Committee was formed. We wanted to
include some members of the community as well as JHS Board members. Sometimes it has
been referred to as the “fun” committee, but I assure you that it has been a work Committee.
Its members are Lois Frey, Linda Jones, Jane Marshall, David Marvin, George Pearlman, Margo
Warden, Aggie West, Alice Whiting and Peggy Williams. These are the people who have written
letters, talked with potential donors, coordinated four raffles and sold raffle tickets, as well as
organized and managed a yard sale, a silent auction, and a flea market. They are the workers!

 The raffles included a quilt made by Andrea Blaisdell and quilted by Marion Philipsen Seasholtz, a painting by Eric Tobin, two ski chairs made by Barney McLean, and a Georgia Balch painting donated by Chuck Conger. Speaking of talented donors, Kate Westcott created and painted the capital campaign’s pie chart. Each piece of pie valued at $30,000 is different to reflect the variety of pies that we sell at Tuesday Night Live.

Before we put the last piece of pie on the chart, I want to call your attention to our donor list
and our river chart. This in recognition of the important role that rivers have played in
Johnson’s history and as a way to depict the range of gifts that we have received during this
campaign. A more permanent donor list will be created and posted in the days ahead.
We thank you, the donors and hope you will join us for Ben and Jerry’s ice cream with
Butternut Mountain Farm maple syrup.

Announcement Delivered by Alice Whiting, Capital Campaign Chair on July 28, 2019 at the Holcomb House.

Eric Tobin to speak

The Holcomb House will be open for Jubilee visitors on Friday, December 1st from 4:00 to 7:30 PM. Join members of the Historical Society for some children’s holiday stories and reminisces of cider too!

 

Well-known local landscape artist, Eric Tobin will speak at the Johnson Historical Society’s Holcomb House on Sunday, October 15th. His talk will highlight his connections to the natural environment as he works outdoors through all kinds of weather during Vermont’s changing seasons. He will also share thoughts on the long history of art in Lamoille County. At the conclusion of his talk at 3:00 PM he will draw the winning ticket for the painting, Winters Hush, Johnson, which he donated to the Society for their fundraising raffle. Tickets for the painting will be on-sale at the time of event or by contacting members of the Johnson Historical Society in advance.  Refreshments will be served.

The event is free!

When:  Sunday, October 15th at 2:00 PM

Where: Johnson Historical Society’s Holcomb House

Call: Lois Frey at 635-7826 for more information

Shared Stories About Johnson

Recent Event:

Where: Holcomb House


Remember When: Shared Stories About Life in Johnson. Story tellers will include Frank Dodge, Everett Dubray, Wayne Stearns, and Dean West with Dick Simays facilitating. You are welcome to bring a memory or two of your own to share.

It is free and there will be cookies!

When: Sunday, February 18, 2018 at 2 PM

Where: Holcomb House

Georga Balch Painting Raffle

Georga Balch Painting Raffle

Georga Balch Painting Raffle

Georgia Wells Stearns Balch           1888 – 1981

Oil on canvas is a Fall river landscape signed Georgia W. Balch. It is 30 X 36 inches, appraised at $1,500. It is being raffled by the Historical Society.

In her youth Georgia moved to Johnson, Vermont with her parents.  In 1914 she married Chester Arthur Stearns and moved to a house on what is now Route 100 C, where she lived throughout her life.  Chester died in the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919. Later she married Roman Balch who supported her art endeavors.

Georgia worked at a time when women were far less prominent in the visual arts than they are today. She was a working artist who applied her trade to tourists; a sign reading “Paintings of Vermont by Georgia Balch” hung in front of her Johnson home. She painted many scenes of Johnson which help to document the community’s landscape during her lifetime.