BARRE, Vt. (WCAX) – The total solar eclipse will darken parts of our region on April 8. The Vermont Historical Society in Barre helped us look back through the archives to the last time Vermont saw a solar eclipse in 1932.
At 99, Fred Johnson admits his memory slips occasionally. But the Bernardston, Massachusetts, resident remembers when he was 7 years old and living in southern Vermont on August 31, 1932, when the last total solar eclipse darkened the skies over the Green Mountain State.
“We were in Brattleboro at the time. And I do remember there was quite a few people looking through smoked glass to see what was happpening,” Johnson said. “Eventually, it gets quite dark. Not real dark, but dark enough.”
Not dark enough to prevent eye damage, though. He wasn’t in the path of totality which went across parts of northeastern Vermont and the Upper Valley. Johnson says he didn’t look at the partial eclipse directly. But his brother, Bob, didn’t listen to their parents’ warnings.
“But it was too late by that time; the damage was done,” Johnson said.
If Johnson had had eclipse glasses, he would have been able to view the eclipse safely from where he was. Some glasses were made by a Vermonter from Orleans who was taking advantage of the 1932 eclipse hype that in many ways was similar to today.
Vermont Historical Society Librarian Kate Phillips found in nearly every diary from 1932 in their collection, people were talking about the eclipse, including farmers from Corinth, the mother of a Vermont first lady who traveled from Barre over to Littleton, New Hampshire, to see totality, and a Springfield farmer and industry worker.
“We caught glimpses of the eclipse but the most wonderful sight was when the totality came on we could see for miles and miles towards Canada,” Phillips read from one. And from another: “The clouds hid the sun part of the time but we saw pretty well and at the total there was a chill in the air and heavy twilight– it was an impressive event.”
What impresses her is how most people got to at least see something, even with less-than-ideal conditions. But what she didn’t find in their cursive chatter that she wishes were there were any descriptions of what they used to view it.
“The newspapers absolutely talked about how to safely view the eclipse but I’m surprised that nobody talks about that aspect of it in their diaries,” Phillips said.
The diaries will be on display at the Vermont Historical Society along with old newspaper coverage to celebrate the 2024 eclipse, where a new generation of Vermonters will record– in their own way– their memories of this once-in-a-lifetime event.
WCAX News is also recording this piece of Vermont history. Click here to see our coverage so far.