This Place in History and the 250th
This Place in History is produced in partnership with Local 22/Local 44.
Unfinished Reveolutions
Ethan Allen Park- The park was built in the New North End of Burlington near the final home of Ethan Allen. A large, late 19th-century tower overlooks the lake. Allen settled here with wife Fanny in 1787 and died here in 1789.
- During the American Revolution, British General Burgoyne had a plan to divide New England from the rest of the colonies. Militia troops from Vermont and New Hampshire fought against the British and German soldiers at the Battle of Bennington. Today, the Bennington Museum displays relics from the battle.
- The Bennington Battle Monument was built starting in 1887 to commemorate the Battle of Bennington. The massive tower is built from stone that was cut into blocks at the site. Tourists from around the world visit the monument and ride the elevator to the top.
- From 1777 until 1791, Vermont was its own republic, and bordering British Canada, it was on the borderlines of the American Revolution. During the conflict, British intelligence, aided by a Vermont loyalist named Justice Sherwood, set up a block house fortification on the island of North Hero in 1781. The Blockhouse remained in operation even after the end of the Revolution.
- Sheldon, Vermont was so named after Elisha Sheldon, a Colonel in the American Revolutionary War. Elisha Sheldon oversaw the Second Continental Light Dragoons, a cavalry unit, which was one of George Washington's personal favorite units in the Continental Army. This earned him favor with Washington, who bestowed upon Elisha Sheldon a large parcel of land.
- A monument standing at the side of the road marks the location of Fort Vengeance, a palisade fort from 1780. The Pittsford Historical Society has a museum with a display of artifacts related to the temporary fort.
- The cabin was built in 1783 by Jedidiah Hyde, a Green Mountain Boy. The Champlain Islands were given to Revolutionary Way Veterans for their service. The cabin was saved from demolition and moved in 1946 by the Vermont Historical Society.
- Newbury is one of the earliest settled towns in Vermont. Named by General Jacob Bayley, Newbury became a frontier during the American Revolution- the site of many raids. As a devout patriot, General Jacob Bayley also became a symbol of staunch resistance against the British.
- Revolutionary War General John Strong built this brick, Federal-style mansion in 1795. A time-capsule of early American life, the house is operated by the Vermont Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
- This statue of French Revolutionary war hero, Marquis de Lafayette, was erected at the University of Vermont in Burlington to commemorate Lafayette's visit to Vermont during the 50th anniversary of the United States in 1826.
Mount Independence Retreat Vermont History (4 altogether about Mount Independence)
- In the summer of 1777, British General John Burgoyne brought his army down Lake Champlain in a campaign to try and split the rebelling American colonies into two. Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence, occupied by the American army was an ideal strategic location to stop the advance, but was undermanned. When the British military occupied Mount Defiance across the lake, General Arthur St. Clair opted to abandon the fort and withdraw his forces.
Vermont Historical Society Executive Director Steve Perkins and ABC 22 & Fox 44 Anchor Mike Hoey stop by Mount Independence to learn more about the retreat.
- During the Revolutionary War, Native Americans who were allied with the British raided the settlement of Royalton. The raiders took captured prisoners north to Canada. Zaddock Steele related his experience in "The Indian Captive: A Narrative of the Captivity and Sufferings of Zaddock Steele."
- Westminster, Vermont is the foundational cornerstone of Vermont. Learn about the "Westminster Massacre" that took place in 1775. At the time, both New York and New Hampshire claimed the territory for themselves, and on March 13th, a group of farmers arrived to close down the courthouse, prompting a crackdown from the local sheriff and his posse, who stormed the courthouse and killed two men. Years later, the courthouse was the site where the residents of the territory formed the state of New Connecticut: later renamed Vermont.
We The People
- Alexander Twilight became the first African American graduate of an American college when graduated Middlebury College in 1823. He was principal of Orleans County Grammar School as well as architect of school buildings. Elected to the Vermont legislature in 1836 he became the first African American in the U.S. to hold such a position.
Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Ethan Allen
- In the early 1900s, the 10th Cavalry Regiment was stationed at Fort Ethan Allen in Colchester. African-American soldiers made up the regiment, also known as the Buffalo Soldiers, at a time when the US Army was segregated. The soldiers and their families changed the racial diversity of the area until the regiment departed a few years later.
- Vermont Historical Society Executive Director Stephen Perkins and Local 22 / 44's Mike Hoey head over to Brighton to chat with James O'Gorman of the Island Pond Historical Society to talk about the legacy of wrestler Chief Don Eagle and his connection to the state of Vermont.
- A colleague of Susan B. Anthony, Clarina Howard Nichols advocated for women's rights, temperance, and abolition. She published extensively and was the first woman to testify before the Vermont legislature. Later in life she helped craft the Kansas constitution.
- Lydia and Jack Clemmons, a retired nurse and doctor, have owned their family farm in Charlotte since the 1960s. The African-American couple, now in their 90s, is turning their farm into an African-American Heritage and Multicultural Center to celebrate heritage, farming, arts, culture and multiculturalism.
Contributions of Black Vermonters to the Civil War
- In Lakeview Cemetery in Burlington there is a specific section of the cemetery for Civil War veterans, but the Black vets are not there. They’re buried in another section. Leander Freeman is indicative of the experience of many Black Vermonters in the Civil War, going out-of-state to join other Black regiments. They were paid $7 a month for their service when white soldiers got $13 a month and a clothing allowance. Ultimately, through a letter campaign of Black soldiers and especially Vermonters they got that equalized.
- The Vermont Constitution of 1777 outlawed slavery for adults living in the state. Unfortunately, this did not prevent Dinah, an adult woman living in Windsor, from being enslaved by Judge Stephen Jacob. Historic documents shed light on the case of Dinah as presented to the Vermont Supreme Court.
- An African-American community of farmers lived and worked in Hinesburg from the 1790s to the 1940s.
- Lemuel Haynes of Rutland, Vermont was an incredible Vermonter. Haynes, an African-American man, was a great writer, thinker, and minister. In 1785, he was one of the first, if not the first, African-Americans to be ordained into the Congregational Church in the whole United States and led a mostly white congregation for over 30 years.
- Martin Henry Freeman was an African American man who was born and lived in Rutland, Vermont in the mid-19th century. He was well-educated, a famed Abolitionist, and the first African-American president of a college in the United States. He belonged to a school of thought that believed freed slaves should return to Africa and resettle.
- Born in 1874, Mary Annette Anderson grew up in Shoreham and attended Middlebury College. She was the first black female member of Phi Beta Kappa and graduated first in her class. The Anderson Freeman Center at Middlebury is named partially in her honor.
Indigenous People in the Champlain Valley
- Native Americans have lived in Vermont for thousands of years. Spear points found at Chimney Point on Lake Champlain show that people used atlatls, or spear throwers, to hunt for moose and deer.
- African American minister George S. Brown led the Methodist congregation of Wolcott in the 1850s and oversaw the building of that group's church. He served in New York, Liberia, and Vermont.
- Robert Cole, one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, was from Northfield. An African-American pilot, Cole learned to fly planes during World War II. His logbook includes details about his training and his flights during the war.
- Rokeby was the home of the Radical Abolitionist and devout Quaker Robinson family. Rowland and Rachel Robinson wrote extensively, organized meetings, and lobbied on anti-slavery issues. They were part of the Underground Railroad network.
- Sylvia Wright represented Rupert in the Vermont Legislature following WWII. She created legislation that provided school transportation as well as health care provided through schools. After divorcing her husband, she moved to Washington DC and worked for the CIA.
- William Clarence Matthews, was hired to play second base for the Burlington Baseball Team of the Northern League in 1905. This is the first time there was a Black baseball player playing professional baseball. And there wouldn’t be another one until Jackie Robinson. He only played one season, however, before going to law school and eventually rising to become an Assistant Attorney General for the United States.
Power of Place
- Arnold Bay was named after Benedict Arnold, known as a traitor during the American Revolution, but before that he was an important part of fighting for the American cause. He created a navy for Lake Champlain, battled the British at Valcour Island, and burned the boats in this bay during retreat from that battle, effectively stopping the British from gaining a foothold in the area.
- Burlington's original baseball field was located on Riverside Avenue and easily accessible by trolley and train line. Famous players at this site include: Bert Abbey, Arlington Pond, Jean Debuc, Ray Collins, Larry Gardiner, Doc Hazelton, and Clarence Matthews. The park closed in 1906 with the opening of Centennial Field.
- Blockhouses and unfinished military roads are both examples of Revolutionary War history in Greensboro, Vermont. In the 1770s, four blockhouses served as fortification and protection for the American scouts, although two men lost their lives at one blockhouse; its location remains unknown. The Americans also began building the Bayley-Hazen [Military] Road in 1776, as a quick route to Canada, but they abandoned the project when they realized the British found the route more usable than they did.
American Anti-Slavery Society's "Great Convention" in Ferrisburgh
- As part of 1843's Great Convention, Frederick Douglass gave anti-slavery speeches in Middlebury and Ferrisburgh. He was heckled and harassed in Middlebury, but very well received in Ferrisburgh.
- Lake Memphremagog has been an important part of life in the area, from the Abenaki to today. At times it has been used for transportation, harnessed for power and industry, fished, and even used for illegal cross-border activities.
- The Pates family ran a hotel on Archibald Street in Burlington for over 60 years. Cleta Harrison King Pate, from the Philippines, was originally married to William King, and then Frank Pate, who were Buffalo Soldiers in the 10th Calvary. The hotel was an important stop for travelers of color who had limited options at the time, and a reflection of how many of the businesses in the Old North End neighborhood were built by people of color.
- Between 1778-1779, the area of Hanover, NH among others along the Connecticut River seceded from that state and became a part of the Republic of Vermont, known as Dresden. Since Dartmouth College was situated in the town, it became the first official Vermont State University and had the first official Vermont state printing press.