About the Museum
About the Sheldon Museum
The Sheldon Museum, the oldest community-based Museum in the country, has welcomed visitors and researchers since 1884. The elegant Federal house, located in the heart of downtown Middlebury, was built in 1829 by marble merchants Eben Judd and Lebbeus Harris. Local businessman and tireless collector Henry Sheldon later filled it with fine Vermont furniture, paintings, documents, household objects, and artifacts that provide a glimpse into Addison County and Vermont’s past. The permanent collection continues to grow today, making the Sheldon Museum a cultural heart of the region.
The Sheldon offers engaging temporary art and history exhibits, programs, and events for all those seeking to gain a deeper appreciation of our community’s and Vermont's art and history. The Stewart-Swift Research Center houses one of the state’s premier archival collections, documenting the history of Middlebury, Addison County, and greater Vermont, which serves the research needs of scholars, students, genealogists, and the community.
We welcome one and all to visit the Sheldon Museum to delve in the connections between Vermont’s past, present, and future and to share, learn, and enjoy in our rich cultural legacy.
While at the Museum, browse in our wonderful Museum Store or picnic in the garden designed and tended by the Middlebury Garden Club and featuring contemporary sculptures by Vermont artists.
The Henry Sheldon Museum Land Acknowledgement
The Henry Sheldon Museum and Stewart-Swift Research Center acknowledge that we do our work on Abenaki land. We recognize the indigenous culture and people that existed in N’dakinna — the ancestral homeland of the Abenaki peoples, past and present — long before Europeans arrived in North America. We commit to policies and practices of cultural equity to benefit current and future generations.
