by Christopher Grotke | Mar 23, 2026 | History, Person
On March 4, 1791 Vermont officially became the 14th state. How did that happen? There were a few steps involved before Vermont could join the United States. First, New York laid claim to Vermont and opposed Vermont’s petition to join the union. Westminster’s Stephen...
by Christopher Grotke | Mar 23, 2026 | History
The town of Brattleboro was chartered as part of the New Hampshire Grants in 1753. European settlement took hold in the region after French Indian War hostilities ceased around 1760. Then, in 1764, the King of England fixed the boundary between NH and NY at the...
by Christopher Grotke | Mar 23, 2026 | History
In the 1760’s the Burling family purchased land from New Hampshire governor Benning Wentworth. The Burling’s were land speculators and had hoped to make money by re-selling the land to others who were interested in settling in the recently established New Hampshire...
by Christopher Grotke | Mar 23, 2026 | History
In 1843 the local paper, The Vermont Phoenix, published a revised history of Vermont’s influence during the Revolutionary War. The events in the Revolutionary War that were up for reinterpretation concerned Brattleboro and the Battle of Bennington. In 1843 the War for...
by Christopher Grotke | Mar 23, 2026 | History
Bennington Battle Day is on August 16th. It has been an official state holiday since 1913, but many communities have been celebrating the day since 1777. The holiday remembers a time when New England governments joined together to repel an invasion of British soldiers...