Revolutionary Road Trip: Central and Southeast Vermont
- Timothy Dusablon
- Jun 7
- 4 min read
In honor of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, I have created several “Revolutionary Road Trips” in the Champlain Valley and the surrounding areas. These road trips are designed to be done in one day, and to give you time to explore and enjoy the sites. This road trip focuses on Central and Southeast Vermont.
You may think you need to go to Boston, New York City, New Jersey or Philadelphia to experience the important sites of the Revolutionary War. With all due respect to those locations, if you live or visit in the Champlain Valley, there are PLENTY of sites to keep you on the road and entertained walking in the pathway of one of the most critical theaters in the Revolutionary War.
In the words of Rene Descartes: “Traveling is almost like talking with men of other centuries." With this in mind, these Revolutionary Road Trips are the perfect excuse to get out and experience the places that greatly influenced our country’s founding 250 years ago. See for yourself where our history took place!
Stop 1: Bayley Hazen Military Road - Greensboro, VT
The Greensboro portion of the Bayley Hazen Military Road is but a small portion of the route originally cut out from 1776 to 1779. The original goal was for the road to run from Newfane, Vermont on the Connecticut River all the way to St. Jean, on the Richelieu River in Canada. After the failed Invasion of Canada in 1775 to 1776, Congress and Washington had not given up hope of capturing Canada, and several more invasions were planned throughout the remainder of the war. This road would provide a route for invading forces from the interior of New England. The road was cut from Newfane through Hazen’s Notch, named after Mozes Hazen, an inhabitant of St. Jean Canada who, after some waffling, decided to join the American cause. On this stretch of the road in Greensboro, one of a few blockhouses along the road was constructed and manned. A marker on the road indicates the spot where the blockhouse stood and where a skirmish took place with First Nations Warriors that resulted in the death of two men.
Stop 2: Vermont Historical Society Museum - Montpelier, VT
The Vermont Historical Society Museum has an impressive collection of goods from throughout Vermont’s storied history. Several displays honor the Abenaki, the French settlers, and the first English settlers, including the Green Mountain Boys. Several displays are related to the Revolutionary War. They include several tools made from the wood of the bridge from Fort Ticonderoga to Mount Independence, a drum captured from the German forces at the Battle of Bennington, objects from the Battle of Hubbardton, a musket captured at the Battles of Saratoga, and several wood objects from Arnold’s fleet at Valcour Island. And, of course, many displays on Ethan and the other Allens who were instrumental in the state’s founding. Give yourself plenty of time here, as the whole museum is very impressive. Not to mention the fantastic book shop on site as well.
Stop 3: Royalton Raid - Royalton, VT
At the old village green in Royalton are two markers honoring the Royalton Raid, the most devastating British and First Nations raid into Vermont. British Lieutenant Richard Haughton led almost 300 Kahnawake Warriors. This raid not only targeted Royalton, but also included nearby Tunbridge and Sharon. 4 were killed, and 26 more taken prisoner back to Montreal.
Stop 4: Old Constitution House - Windsor, VT
It was at this house, originally called the Windsor Tavern, that the Republic of Vermont’s Constitution was drafted and adopted. Earlier in 1777 in Westminster, the area of the Hampshire Grants had declared itself an independent republic called New Connecticut. Delegates from the new republic met in July 1777 to formalize their constitution. They chose Windsor in part because the western portion of Vermont was under attack from John Burgoyne’s invading force on Lake Champlain. The new constitution was notable in that it was the first to ban slavery in North America.
Stop 5: Fort at Number Four - Charlestown, NH
Taking a quick trip over the Connecticut River into New Hampshire, The Fort at Number Four is an incredible example of the type of wooden stockade fort that was common for this time frame. The fort has been rebuilt as of the 1960’s. The fort’s name alludes to the site of Plantation Number Four, once a part of the Massachusetts Bay Company, their furthest northern settlement. After the creation of the Colony of New Hampshire, ownership of the fort transferred over. This fort was the terminus of the Crown Point Military Road, beginning in Chimney Point, VT. The road was built to connect His Majesty’s Fort at Crown Point to Fort Number Four. During the Revolutionary War, John Stark gathered 1,500 New Hampshire militia here before marching onto Bennington in 1777.
Stop 6: Westminster Massacre - Westminster, VT
Over a month before Lexington and Concord, a group of unarmed protesters occupied the courthouse in Westminster. The arrival of the New York officials, who were there to collect debts, were met by these protesters who blocked the entrance. The New York officials rode south to Brattleboro where they recruited more Tories, many were those who tended to be upper-class and more loyal to the British Crown. They came back to the courthouse armed. After alcohol was consumed by both sides, the conflict turned violent when the sheriff told the armed men to fire into the crowd. Two men were killed, and many more wounded. Alarms were sent to all over New England, and a large number of militia from surrounding states responded. This event would come to be known as the Westminster Massacre, and many historians believe that the two men killed, William French and Daniel Houghton, were the first two Americans killed during the Revolutionary War.
