Join the Sullivan Museum and History Center at Norwich University for a Lunch and Learn program, "The Railroad History of the State of Vermont," featuring Jim Murphy, on Thursday, November 15, at noon. This free event, sponsored by the Associates of the Sullivan Museum and History Center, includes a light lunch and is open to the public.

Jim Murphy, a resident of St. Albans, Vermont, and an expert on Vermont railroad history, will discuss the history of the Vermont Central Railroad including how the route was constructed from Windsor, Vermont, to Burlington, Vermont, between 1845 and 1849. During the initial phases of the VCRR, plans were drawn up for a link between Burlington and Montreal by another railroad company, Vermont & Canada, whose president was John Smith of St. Albans. By 1864 this railroad reached the Canadian border. By 1873 the railroads were merged and renamed the Central Vermont Railroad and were managed by Smith's sons, John Gregory and Worthington C. Smith.

The talk, held in conjunction with the museum's exhibit, Innovators of Norwich: Building a Nation, runs through December 21, 2018. This exhibition explores the truly amazing individuals who left Norwich University and began exacting career paths that shaped and changed our nation in the areas of railroad engineering, science, architecture, and infrastructure. The exhibit highlights the contributions made by Russell Porter (NU 1891), Edward Dean Adams (NU 1864), William Rutherford Mead (NU 1864), and Grenville Dodge (NU 1851).

Norwich University's Sullivan Museum and History Center is the only museum in Vermont to be named a Smithsonian Affiliate. The museum is open to the public from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the academic year. Admission is free. For more information about the programs or exhibit, please call 802-485-2183 or visit http://academics.norwich.edu/museum.