Directions and Parking

Museum Headquarters are located at 58 Bridge Street, in downtown White River Junciton, adjacent to the Lehman Bridge, between the railroad underpass and the White River.

20 minute drop off parking is available in the front of the building. Please drive around the island in front of the building in a counter-clockwise direction, to stay with the traffic flow.

URGENT NOTICE!

Vehicles parked next door on Daniel Johnson's property or at the Home Comfort Warehouse WILL BE TOWED 
AT OWNER’S EXPENSE! 
Please park on any of White River Junction's streets. They are quite safe. Railroad Row is close by. Public parking lots are conveniently located by the Courthouse and Railroad Depot across the street from the front of our building. Our small parking lot in the back of the building may be full. Please do not park in it unless you are familiar with the parking situation here.

DO NOT park cars on our driveway (right-of-way) on the side of our building, on property of Daniel Johnson or Everything Glass directly next door or at the Home Comfort Warehouse in back of the Museum! 
CARS WILL BE TOWED FROM OUR NEIGHBORS PROPERTY 
and from our Right-Of-Way! Bob Pickering is in charge of parking on our neighbor’s property. He wears a baseball style cap, or other hat, and is sometimes accompanied by his partner Elizabeth who sometimes carries a tiny dog. The Pickerings do not control parking or other uses of Museum property. Please alert museum staff if they are seen on museum property, or 
if they approach museum patrons.

THE MAIN STREET MUSEUM TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACTIONS OF EITHER BOB OR ELIZABETH PICKERING! Daniel Johnson, property owner of the former "ProCam" building employs Mr. Pickering. In the event of trouble or concerns please report his actions directly to Mr. Johnson at design-build@valley.net, or 802-291-7080 or to the Hartford Police, 802.295.9425.

We're sorry for all the trouble —The Management.

List of Incidents of Harassment of tenants at 58 Bridge Street

David Fairbanks Ford 58 Bridge St, White River Jct., VT, 05001 dff@mainstreetmuseum.org

Cover letter for information concerning Robert Pickering:

For the past 5 years I have experienced numerous incidents of harassment from Robert Pickering and his partner Elizabeth. Mr. Pickering claims to be the “night-watchman” or “caretaker” for both the property of Daniel Johnson, 52 Bridge St, and the stove company “Home Comfort Warehouse” adjacent to my property at 58 Bridge St. Over 20 people have complained to me, verbally or in writing during this period of being yelled at, touched inappropriately, threatened verbally while flashlight shone in their eyes, etc. while trying to enter my place of business.

There are presently both tenants and students at the Cartoon School who do not use the right-of-way and therefor cannot park in my parking lot, due to their fears of being threatened by Bob.

His behavior interferes in a serious way, in the day to day conducting of my businesses, the Main Street Museum (a public venue with exhibits, live music and film events) and the Hartford Fire District One, LLC, the “Old Fire Station” consisting of 9 commercial and residential rental units. His behavior has directly interfered with the peaceable enjoyment of my legal Right of Way between my property and the property of Daniel Johnson. I have been given no satisfaction from Mr. Johnson in this matter, who has ignored my emails, and certified letters about his employee. This behavior has resulted in my filing “Notice Against Trespass” papers against Mr. Pickering. 2003 – 2007: Repeated incidents of aggressive behavior toward tenants and visitors to 58 Bridge St. including:

• 2003, A Hispanic worker on the renovation project at the Fire District One building was verbally threatened at least twice with racial epithets (a six-letter word beginning with the letter N).
• 2004-6, Susan Thompson, working in her studio downstairs, verbally harassed by Mr. Pickering, her delivery trucks stopped and yelled at by Mr. Pickering. After several of these incidents, the Hartford PD were called to the scene.
• 2005, Two women (civil union partners) were followed and harassed verbally while living in my 3rd floor apartment.
• 2005, After several weeks of Mr. Pickerings complaints to me that my cat was “ruining” the neighborhood, and informing me that he could “break its neck” with his “bare hands” my cat was found, adjacent to my parking lot but in plan sight, with its neck broken.
• 2007, My snow plow driver, Mike Bettis, informed me in Spring of 2008 that he could no longer work for me if Mr. Pickering continued to harass him verbally, and to compact the snow in the Right of Way with his small, very loud motorized sno-shovel. All of my downstairs tenants exterior doors, and my hallway exit on the first floor level were repeated piled with compacted snow by Mr. Pickering.
• Visitors to my building, and workers on the renovation project have subjected to anti-gay epithets from 2004 to the present.

On all of these occasions, Mr. Pickering’s yelling at my patrons is loud enough to be heard inside my building, with storm and regular windows both closed.

More recent incidents: Spring and Summer, 2008:

• While advertising space for rent, two different potential renters of my downstairs studio (studio #4) report to me that they could not rent the studio, even for daytime use because of the presence of Mr. Pickering—who one described as the ”Guardian” of the right of way—directly outside of the double doors of this studio.

• 30 August, 2008: Live music night at museum. Mr. Pickering approached several members of band and informs them that if they park in back of the Museum, on Museum property, their “tires will get slashed.” Mr. Pickerings yelling loud enough to be heard from inside the building and concerned Museum patrons.
• 11 Oct, 2008: Wedding rehearsal dinner for family from NJ. They had rented the museum space and several members of the party were harassed, told they could not park in front of Daniel Johnson's building. They were visibly shaken after the encounter.
• 14 Oct, 2008: Film night at the Museum. A woman visiting the museum reports that Mr. Pickering ordered her to park in certain areas of Daniel Johnson's property, making her move her car three times. When she stepped out of her car, he approached her, informed her that if she parked in my parking lot her convertible top would get slashed. Mr Pickering then put his arms around the woman and “squeezed” her in an inappropriate manner. Later in the evening Mr. Pickering actually entered my building, asking for the woman in question.
• 18th Oct. 2008: Visitors from New York City are told that they cannot use the right of way for drop-off parking, are yelled at and told to “move along!”.
• 26th October: A Hispanic student at the nearby Center for Cartoon Studies was shouted at by Mr. Pickering with the following phrases, in a noticeably louder voice, again loud enough to be heard plainly from indoors, “What are you looking for? You wont find anything here. You better move along now. The Museum’s closed.” The Museum was, at the time, very much open, with all of our lights on.

First week of November, 2008. “Notice of No Trespassing” papers filed, Windsor County Court, by David Ford against Mr. Pickering. After this letter circulated in an email, another cartoon student came forward, having been harassed by Pickering. The student indicated that he, also, believed that he had been targeted because he is Hispanic.

• 12th Feb. 2009: Mr. Pickering stands in right-of-way and physically prevented two tenants at 58 Bridge Street from using our back parking lot.
• 24th April, 2009: In spite of verbal and written assurance that visitors to the Main Street Museum could park on the adjoining property from Mr. Johnson, Mr. PIckering has cars towed from the neighboring properties of Daniel Johnson and the “Home Comfort Warehouse”. No warning is given before the cars are towed. One of the cars was towed from the right-of-way legally owned by the Hartford Fire District One, LLC., owner of the building at 58 Bridge Street. Mr. PIckering objected verbally to the bumper stickers on the car in question, which were pro-gay. The young woman owning the car was in tears when she returned to the Museum.

Officer Lyman of the Hartford PD has been of great assistance in this matter, but I would like to know what further steps I could take to enable my business to function in an orderly and peaceable fashion, without hindrance from this individual.

I look forward to working with you on this matter. Thanks for you time,

David F. Ford, 58 Bridge Street, White River Jct. 05001. 802.356.2776

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The Main Street Museum, 58 Bridge Street, White River Junction, Vermont, 05001-1909, info@mainstreetmuseum.org, 802.356.2776