PHS Presents Author Molly Rideout on the life of Grace Greylock Niles

Wednesday, August 12th at 6:30pm

Faith Church, 82 Main Street, Pownal, VT

Grace Greylock Niles (1864-1943) has been both praised and mocked, called brilliant and called crazy. She was an artist, a nurse, a botanist and a local historian who fought to maintain her independence as an unattached woman living with schizophrenia. In this talk, local author Molly Rideout examines new research to understand the ways Grace fought for this freedom despite a range of injustices, including a possible framing that had resulted in her involuntarily committal to the Brattleboro Retreat for the final 20 years of her life. Rideout will read from her forthcoming essay, “Bog Hag” and share both the known and previously unknown stories of the woman whom the Banner called, “the most talented person native to this small Vermont town."