Rokeby MuseumReading Rowland Evans Robinson
On March 16, 2021, Rokeby Trustee, Dean Leary, presented on the life and works of Vermont author Rowland Evans Robinson.
At one point Ferrisburgh resident Rowland Evans Robinson (1833–1900) was one of Vermont’s most beloved writers. Leary, a long-time reader of Robinson’s work, shared knowledge about the writer and led a discussion of Robinson’s nature, history and fiction writing.
Read MoreStaff & Volunteer Spotlight — Meet Allison Gregory
by Allison Gregory, Office Administrative Manager
In January 2020, I came to Ferrisburgh, Vermont to interview for the Education and Interpretation Fellowship. I was never this far north in Vermont. I remember driving along on NY 22A gawking out the driver’s side window at the beautiful view of the Adirondacks in the distance — it was a clear day; rare in January. Rokeby looked charming from the driveway and I thought to myself ‘this is a lot smaller than I thought.’ You see, I had studied the website carefully before arriving and given the diverse programming and initiatives, I thought this place was going to be huge. Of course, I later realized its great importance to Vermont history.
Read MoreStaff & Volunteer Spotlight — Meet Joan Gorman
by Joan Gorman, Rokeby Museum Visitor Center Coordinator
Being at the right place at the right time has its advantages. When I visited Rokeby for the first time in August 2019, little did I think that I would shortly begin a new career. I had recently sold my inn in the Mad River Valley, moving to Burlington and fortuitously purchasing the house owned by Rokeby director emerita Jane Williamson. As is the case with so many locals, I had, shamefully, never visited Rokeby in the 40 years I had lived in Vermont. Seizing the opportunity for a personal tour, I asked Jane to introduce me to the museum and the property. While I enjoyed Free & Safe, Jane chatted with Catherine Brooks, then director. Over lunch, Jane mentioned to me that Catherine had told her the museum was looking for a part-time person to finish out the season. I applied, and shortly thereafter began working greeting guests, boning up on Robinson family history, learning the administrative systems, selling items in the store, and helping with the programs. I also studied to become a guide, shadowed a few of the guides as they gave house tours and even gave a few tours myself. Once COVID is managed and we can open the Historic House again, I’m hoping to be able to do more guiding.
Read MoreRokeby Museum, PC Construction Announce 2021 Preservation Partnership
Ferrisburgh and South Burlington, VT – Rokeby Museum is pleased to announce that PC Construction has stepped up as the Museum’s 2021 Preservation Sponsor.
Under the partnership, the employee-owned construction firm will complete approximately $20,000 worth of preservation work on the over 200-year-old structures on the site, addressing some the urgent needs the Museum had not secured funding to accomplish. The high-priority projects will make buildings safer and more accessible by adding handrails and replacing deteriorated porches. Additional work includes structural repairs for the grainery, and removal and replacement of 1815 plaster on some of the buildings’ interior walls.
Read MoreA Social Justice Primer — “How to Be an Antiracist,” by Ibram X. Kendi
by Richard Bernstein, M.D., Rokeby Museum Trustee
“…as Kendi’s awareness grew and as his thinking developed, he realized that the statement, ‘I am not a racist,’ which is meant to absolve the speaker of racist feelings or thoughts, actually expresses a level of denial that he calls ‘the heartbeat of racism.’”
Ibram X. Kendi’s book, How to Be an Anti-Racist, details his journey and his growing awareness of how racism informs his own life and thoughts. Along the way, he has taught himself how to be an anti-racist, and through his book, he speaks of and to himself as much as to the reader.
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