Springfield history talk, ‘From Mills to Machine Tools,’ today

Well known local historian and author, Rosanne (Bunni) Putnam will bring to life the early history of Springfield in a visual presentation and talk this afternoon in the Great Hall of the former Fellows Gear Shaper Building, free and open to the public.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20130413/NEWS02/704139939

The April 13th talk and visual presentation in progress

Springfield history talk, ‘From Mills to Machine Tools,’ today By Susan Smallheer Staff Writer | April 13,2013 Rutland Herald SPRINGFIELD — Rosanne “Bunni” Putnam has been writing a weekly column, “Picture the Past,” for the weekly Springfield Reporter for the past three years. “It’s all about Springfield history, and it’s just evolved,” said Putnam, who said she had shaped her research into at least three talks and a book, “Springfield, Vt.,” one of the Images of America series. Putnam will give a lecture this afternoon at the Great Hall in the former Fellows Gear Shaper building, titled “From Mills to Machine Tools.” Putnam’s talk, which is free and open to the public, starts at 3 p.m. “It’s about people, not places,” said Putnam, who said she has been researching Springfield history for years with her husband Hugh. “When you get all this information, you have to do something,” she said with a laugh. Putnam said she will focus on 14 people who were key to Springfield’s history. She said some of them will have names well known to people familiar with Springfield history and its deep history of the machine tool industry, particularly Hubbard-Dartt’s ‘‘History of the Town of Springfield,’’ and Keith Barney’s ‘‘History of Springfield 1885-1961.’’ Putnam said she relied on Springfield’s key history books, both large and small, as well as research she and her husband had done into newspaper archives at the Springfield Town Library. She said she uses her collection of historical Springfield postcards, as well as photographs from the Springfield Town Library. “There’s a wealth of Springfield history books,” she said. Organizers of Putnam’s talk urge people to use the Pearl Street entrance to the Great Hall.