Who was Marcia Brown?

SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – The Springfield Art & Historical Society will host “Who was Marcia Brown?” On Saturday, May 20 at 2 p.m., at SAHS, 65 Route 106, North Springfield, Vt.

Daniel Ladue of Plattsburg, N.Y., author of “Bold and Courageous: 25 North Country Women and Their Exceptional Contributions,” will tell us about this remarkable local woman, whose life spanned two continents and, up until now, was mostly unknown.

Marcia Brown was born in Springfield in 1835, the granddaughter of Elisha Brown, who came to Vermont in 1790. Her “North Mowing” Brown family includes the painter Horace Brown, and educator Dr. Jeremy Brown, who left land for the sports fields at Riverside. Her education began in the local schools, and she eventually became a certified teacher. Through the 1870s, she taught in Springfield, Rutland, and Burlington, Vt.; Plattsburgh, N.Y.; and Malden, Mass.

In 1888, the government of Brazil decided to overhaul their entire educational system. Due to her impressive background, she was invited to join a team of other Americans and Brazilians on this project. The program was a success, and resulted in two schools being named after her: one in Malden, Mass., and one in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Marcia Brown died on April 6, 1923. Her estate left $2,000 to the Springfield Town Library, in memory of her grandfather, and two female scholarships to the University of Vermont. This program is free and open to the public. For more information, call 802-886-7935 or email sahs@vermontel.net.

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