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Historic Sites in Vermont
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Old Constitution House
Elijah West was accustomed to having his tavern, conveniently
situated in the middle of Windsor, used as a meeting place where
townsmen argued town politics. Windsor's location was important,
too: it was right in the middle of the "New Hampshire Grants",
and residents living in the Grants were more certain every day
that they no longer wanted to be a part of New Hampshire or New
York! They wanted control of their own state. So Elijah wasn't
surprised when on July 2, 1777, delegates from the length and
breadth of the newly independent Republic of Vermont met at his
tavern. They came to write a constitution! Delegates had almost
finished their task when on July 8 dreadful news arrived from
the war front. Burgoyne had captured Fort Ticonderoga and Mt.
Independence. In an uproar, anxious to get home, they decided to
disband, but tradition has it that a timely and violent
thunderstorm intervened, delaying them long enough to vote and
sign the constitution amid "a baptism of thunder, lightening and
rain." The delegates created an instrument that was unique at
the time of its adoption. Using Benjamin Franklin's constitution
for Pennsylvania as a model, they went further: Vermont's
Constitution was the first in America to prohibit slavery, to
establish universal voting rights for all males and to authorize
a public school system. Vermont became a Republic and remained
so until 11791 when it was admitted to the Union as the
fourteenth state, the first after the original thirteen. Today,
the delegates who voted on that stormy day of July 8, 1777 would
easily recognize The Old Constitution House as hospitable Elijah
West's tavern. Often called the "Birthplace of Vermont," The Old
Constitution House has been restored and has an exhibit on the
writing and meaning of Vermont's constitution. The site is open
late May through mid-October, Wednesday through Sunday. For
information call: (802)828-3051
The Hubbardton Battlefield
Stand quietly for a moment on a summer's day atop Hubbardton's
bare, grassy hill. Close you eyes-above the sound of the wind
you may hear the shouts of British soldiers as they charge up
the hill towards Seth Warner's Green Mountain Boys on a hot July
day in 1777. The crackle of muskets swells as the ragged New
Englanders, fighting Indian fashion, using every available
cover, make a grim, stubborn stand against the Redcoats. When
General Burgoyne captured Mount Independence and Ticonderoga,
the Americans had beaten a hasty retreat, fleeing through
Hubbardton. There, Warner's troops stayed behind to fight,
hoping to give the main force time to escape. The enemy's
advance was checked, causing them to limp back to Mount
Independence and Ticonderoga. Warner and his men then marched to
Manchester, for the coming Battle of Bennington. Though a short
action involving on 2,000 men, the Battle of Hubbardton was the
beginning of a series of events leading two months later to
General Burgoyne's defeat at the Battle of Saratoga. A visitors
reception center houses a museum with an exhibit that places
this battle into its Revolutionary War context. Strategic points
along the Battlefield are marked. The site is open late May
through mid-October, Wednesday through Sunday. For information
call: (802)828-3051
President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site
The only President to have been born on the Fourth of July,
Calvin Coolidge first saw the light of day in a small bedroom at
the back of his father's store. The modest house where he grew
up is across the road. Coolidge returned there every year.
History singled out this homestead when early on an August
morning, 1923, by the light of a kerosene lamp, Vice President
Coolidge was sworn in by his father as 30th President of the
United States following the death of President Warren Harding.
This event, with its unique and moving simplicity, will always
hold an appeal for Americans. The homestead remains exactly as
it was on that historic night. The general store, which was the
President's 1924 "Summer White House" office, and the nearby
cheese factory, owned by the President's father, as well as the
church where generations of Coolidges worshipped, are also open
to the public. A barn displays agriculture tools of the Coolidge
era, and a visitor's center provided an introduction to the life
and times of Calvin Coolidge. A short distance sway is the steep
hillside cemetery where the President and six generations of his
family are buried. The President Coolidge Historic Site is open
daily from late May through mid-October. For information call:
(802)828-3051
Mount Independence Historic Site
On a bold peninsula jutting into Lake Champlain, Mount
Independence is the site of an extensive Revolutionary War
military complex. A floating bridge linked it with Fort
Ticonderoga. Designed in 1776 for 12,000 soldiers, Mount
Independence was one of the largest communities in North
America. Because it was difficult to supply such a large number
over the winter, the garrison was reduced in the fall to 2,500
men who suffered greatly in the ensuing bad weather. In July of
1777 the understaffed complex was captured by the British as the
Continental Army escaped to prepare for a successful rear guard
battle at Hubbardton. The unique Visitors Center is designated
to dramatically remind a visitor of the important interaction of
land and lake based action during the Revolutionary War. The
exhibit, displaying many of the artifacts found on the site,
focuses on the purpose of Mount Independence and the life of a
soldier on the Mount during the 1776-1777 period. A privately
operated cruise boat, the M?V Carillon, operates from Larrabee's
Point and docks at Mount Independence and Fort Ticonderoga
offering visitors a tour of scenic beauty with a taste of
American history. The 1.5 hour cruise is an inviting way to
easily understand the geographic and military significance of
Mount Independence. Mount Independence, a National Historic
Lankmark, is jointly owned and administrated by the Vermont
Division for Historic Preservation and the Fort Ticonderoga
Association. The site is a historic park with trails. Visitors
should wear sturdy walking shoes. The site is open daily, late
May through mid-October. For information call: (802)828-3051
Chimney Point State Historic Site
The narrows of Lake Champlain have been continuously occupied
for over 12,000 years. Lake Champlain was a major transportation
route along which people settled. Native Americans camped and
seasonally settled here. The French began settlement in the
1730's, and the area became an important part of New France. In
the disturbed days of the French and Indian Wars, the settlers
threatened by the British, burned their homes and fled. The
dismal sight of blackened chimneys rising from empty cellar
holes have Chimney Point its name. Today the large 18th century
tavern at Chimney Point houses an interpretive exhibit. "People
of the Dawn and the People of New France" uses artifacts and an
audio-visual component to provide an overview of the Native
American and French settlement of the Champlain Valley. The
exhibit begins with the earliest archaeological evidence and
concludes with a look at contemporary issues and cultural
traditions. Special exhibits are changed yearly. The site is
open late May through mid-October, Wednesday through Sunday. For
information call: (802)828-3051
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