John Carnahan was one of the first true Brattleboro folks I got to know. He and I worked together with many others to bring the Estey Organ Museum to life.
John had great knowledge of Brattleboro and Vermont history, and seemed to know just about everyone.
He politely corrected me when, early on, I would mention the city of Brattleboro. “”Brattleboro is a town.”
John was excellent at making introductions. Anytime someone came up to talk to him, he would introduce them to whomever was nearby. “Chris, have you met Ms. Smith? She’s an organist and loves to garden. Ms. Smith, this is Christopher Grotke. He and his wife run MuseArts, a design company.” I was given that sort of introduction to numerous people in the community and it was not only a nice thing to do, it was very helpful. I’ve tried to pick up the habit of introducing people whenever I can to carry this on.
John was a lawyer before I knew him. I met him as he was shutting down his office in the Hooker Dunham building. He told tales of meeting up at the general store on Western Ave (presently a “coop”) with other lawyers and politicians for informal discussions about state and local issues.
I’d run in to John and others digging through old postcards for sale around town. I’d be looking for world’s fair and amusement park items. He loved collecting postcards of state capital buildings. I’m certain he had a full set.
He was both mild mannered and a bulldog. When he took something on he usually succeeded. He could be very tough and insistent. And come across as a sweetie, too.
One of my favorite memories happened often. A number of us would be getting ready to move an Estey organ for the museum. Most of us liked to plan and decide how to lift the beast, and how we would move it and when we’d put it down. All the details for a smooth operation. John would just grab an end and go. We’d be running after him to catch up.
We had some great times in meetings, events, and even an occasional backyard get together. He had a good sense of humor.
John and his wife Mary lived near downtown and I’d frequently see him or both of them together walking into town for errands, or walking home at the end of the day. He was active in the Brattleboro Historical Society and was frequently seen at events such as alumni parades, Gallery Walks, or elections.
John passed away May 7.
Sad news
I was really sad to hear this. As Chris says in his story, John was one of the first people we got to know in Brattleboro, and we loved chatting with him and his wife Mary, who were just lovely people. Fun, friendly, quietly outgoing without display. John was a fount of historical knowledge. I remember him correcting my pronunciation of Gannett, which as I recall, is accented on the first, not the second syllable. My heart goes out to Mary and his family, who must miss him very much, as will most of those who knew him. He was truly one of a kind.
Remember the garden party?
Remember when we were invited to his backyard for a garden party of organ folks? The house was near downtown and had a great view of Wantastiquet, the train tracks down below and the river. Great guests, food and lots of funny stories being shared.
We’d also go over there every once in a while to help him out with email issues. It was a classic home filled with antiques and nice things… and then there was the colorful iMac that sort of seemed a bit out of place, even though it was tucked away upstairs. : )
Also sad to hear of John's passing
I first knew of him as a district court judge, when, soon after moving to Vt, I was on a jury and he presided. He was often in attendance at Friends of Music at Guilford events; I was the organization’s administrator. Speaking of Estey organs, once we presented a program at Guilford’s Christ Church, and wanted to use a parlor organ to accompany Civil War-era songs; the non-Estey there was at that time up in the loft, and not working well, and we needed an instrument downstairs in the performance area. John arranged for us to borrow one of the small Esteys from, I think, the Brattleboro Historical Society, and just as Christopher described he was one of the main organ movers, as we transported it in a van and wheeled it down the church aisle on a dolly I quickly made. John was interested in local history and very supportive of my work on Royall Tyler (an earlier Brattleboro lawyer and also a judge! in the Federal era) and of the play “True as Steel” which Christina Gibbons and I assembled for the Vermont Bicentennial; he also helped as a trustee of The Crosby Foundation, which assisted us in funding the project, and he even attended both performances at Brooks Library. He was always right wherever I was doing musical and historical projects, eager to help and support, with enthusiasm, grace, and good humor.
He will be missed
I met John while I was filming a documentary about 250 years of the UUA in Brattleboro. He was a fountain of historical information. He was patient, understanding with my constant need for information and where to find it. This was when the Historical Society was located in the Municipal Bldg. John was a true gentleman and scholar and will be sorely missed.
Kathryn Turnas