Welcome to the Peacham Historical Association
Our mission is to celebrate and preserve the rich history of Peacham, Vermont. This website will give you an overview of the Historical Association’s collections, publications, programs and other offerings.
We hope you will join us at an upcoming event or sign up for a membership. Check back often to find out what’s new about Peacham’s history.
2026 was a banner year for PHA programs celebrating the 250th anniversary!
Our grand finale was Samuel Worcester, the Supreme Court, and the Cherokee Nation, a symposium held on October 21 at the Peacham Congregational Church and Meeting House. The purpose was to bring together new research by Peacham historians about the community that shaped Samuel Worceter’s childhood and education with established legal scholarship about his life and advocacy for the Cherokee, and comclude with a look at how these historic events continue to affect Cherokee life today. A delegation from the Cherokee Nation, including Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin and Cherokee historian Jack Baker travelled from Oklahoma to make presentations. They were joined by Peacham historian Susan Chandler and legal historian Lindsay Robertson, Visiting Professor at Dartmouth and Professor Emeritus of Oklahoma University.
The day proved to be a moving testimony to the work and dedication of Worcester. The Cherokee brought soil from his grave in Oklahoma to place at the foot of the Worcester family gravesite; in a simple ceremony, they in turn gathered Peacham soil to place at his grave in Oklahoma. The delegation visited his childhood home, the Reverend Leonard Worcester Homestead, where the current owners, the Danielson family, showed them the spaces Samuel lived in. The symposium itself was held in the church where Samuel’s father, Leonard, was the prominent, beloved first pastor. Indigenous students from Dartmouth joined the audience, as did Cherokee and other indigenous people living in the Northeast Kingdom.
It was the first time a Cherokee Chief has visited Vermont. Chief Hoskin expressed the desire to add Peacham to the list of pilgrimage sites for young Cherokee studying their history.
Peacham Historical House is closed for the season.
Note: the early maps of Peacham and Vermont from the summer exhibition have moved to the Peacham Library through January 15, 2027.
Peacham, Vermont
Peacham, a picturesque hill town in northeastern Vermont, has a population of 732 people that swells to over 1,000 in the summer months. The village center with its cluster of early to mid-19th century Federal and Greek Revival homes has been designated a National Historic District. Several large working farms are located a short distance from the village. The rolling fields, together with secluded ponds, brooks, and dense woodlands, give the town its distinctive rural character.
Peacham lies on lands historically Abenaki, serving as a seasonal home. First settled by Europeans in 1776, Peacham has played a substantial role in the history of Vermont and of the nation. Thaddeus Stevens, abolitionist leader and Congressman from Pennsylvania during the Civil War period, is the most prominent of a roster of distinguished residents past and present.
Peacham continues to play a vital role in the life of the region. The Historical Association was incorporated in 1921 and has actively sought to preserve and display the town’s history through exhibits in its Historical House, Ghost Walks, and publications. Our small town hosts a number of well-attended annual events, including its July 4th celebration featuring a tractor parade, ghost walk, games, and pig roast. The Snow Roller Barn features several of the large horse or oxen-drawn rollers that were once used to maintain our snowy winter roads. The Northern Skies Observatory was constructed in 2010 through the efforts of local citizens and offers schools and the community opportunities to study and contemplate the skies. The Fall Foliage Festival and the Winter Carnival are also popular Peacham events. You can learn about current events in Peacham on the Town’s website.
Now available!
