author
Lilian Baker Carlisle
1912–2006
A lively Vermont historian, author, and public servant, she spent decades preserving the stories, buildings, and everyday objects that shaped Burlington and the state around it. Her books and talks helped turn local history into something warm, vivid, and personal.
1 Audiobook
The carriages at Shelburne Museum
by Lilian Baker Carlisle
About the author
Born in Meridian, Mississippi, in 1912, Lilian Baker Carlisle later made Burlington, Vermont, her home. After moving there with her family in 1946, she became closely involved in the cultural life of the state and began working with Electra Havermeyer Webb at Shelburne Museum, where she helped interpret and present American folk art and material culture.
Over the years, she built a wide-ranging career as a writer, lecturer, collector, and local historian. She wrote and edited books on Vermont history and decorative arts, led walking tours, and became known for making the past feel immediate through stories about houses, neighborhoods, and the people who lived in them.
Carlisle also served the public in other ways, including work in Vermont politics and community life. Remembered as both a serious historian and an energetic civic figure, she left behind papers and scrapbooks that reflect a lifelong devotion to preserving Vermont's memory.