Revolutionary Road Trip: Northern Vermont
- Timothy Dusablon
- Jun 7
- 7 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 Northern 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: Ethan Allen Gravesite - Burlington, VT
A tall granite monument with a depiction of Ethan Allen on the top stands at the location where Ethan Allen is believed to be buried. Ethan Allen was the leader of the Green Mountain Boys during the conflict with New York landholding elite during the eve of the Revolution. At the very onset of the Revolution, Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys were contracted through Connecticut to capture Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point for the valuable heavy artillery. Allen reluctantly co-commanded the capture with Benedict Arnold, who had been given a commission from Massachusetts for the same mission. They captured the fort without a fight for America’s first large-scale victory. He was later captured in Montreal during the Invasion of Canada, and spent three grueling years in captivity. Towards the end of the war, Allen and the rest of the “Arlington Junto” engaged in the controversial “Haldimand Negotiations”, which would have made Vermont a British colony under self-governing rule. The war ended before this could become reality. After the war, Allen finished his controversial work called “Reason: The Only Oracle of Man” which was a philosophical book very critical of organized religion. After Allen’s death, some Christian leaders came here to stomp on his gravesite.
Stop 2: Navy Memorial - Burlington Waterfront, VT
In 2005, the Navy approved this location for a replica of the “Lone Sailor” statue given the important naval history of Lake Champlain. This was the first civilian location approved for the “Lone Sailor” and was also the first outside of Washington, D.C. Surrounding the statue are several granite markers highlighting the Battle of Valcour Island, the Battle of Plattsburgh, and several other notable naval connections to Burlington and Lake Champlain. Looking out in the distance on the New York shore just north, you will see Schuyler Island. This is where Arnold’s fleet took shelter the day after the Battle of Valcour Island, and the day before sailing south and re-engaging with the British in a running battle. Also, the rock formation to the south near Juniper Island is, according to Abenaki folklore, Odzihozo, the creator of the valley from time immemorial.
Stop 3: Ethan Allen Homestead - Burlington, VT
The Ethan Allen Homestead is where Allen and his family spent his last couple of years. The home is in wonderful condition, with regular tours. There is a modest admission fee that goes to a great cause. In addition to the homestead, there are wonderful exhibits and displays honoring the Abenaki First Nation, in addition to other incredible early Burlingtonians. The staff and volunteers here are top notch. Additionally, they have monthly lectures that highlight all aspects of local history beyond Ethan Allen himself. Make sure you also visit the bookstore, which has a great array of books pertaining to local history.
Stop 4: White’s Beach - Carleton’s Prize - South Hero, VT
At White’s Beach, you get a magnificent view of a notable rock formation protruding out of the lake. The Abenaki referred to the rock as Odzihozo’s Wife, the wife of the creator Odzihozo mentioned above. The rock also has another name. According to local lore, the morning after the Battle of Valcour Island on October 12, 1776, General Guy Carleton thought he had spotted one of Benedict Arnold’s fleet and fired. Once he got closer, he realized it was this very rock formation with a tree growing on the top, making it look like a sailing vessel from a distance. Since then, it has been known as Carleton’s Prize, and continues on in lore among those venturing on Lake Champlain. That said, there are almost no first-hand accounts of this incident, which has cast some doubt amongst historians about this event.
Stop 5: Hyde Log Cabin - Grand Isle, VT
This cabin was built by Jedediah Hyde Jr. a Green Mountain Boy, in 1783. It is believed to be one of the oldest log cabins in the United States. After the Revolutionary War, several veterans of the conflict were given land grants in the Champlain Islands as compensation for their service. As such, North Hero and South Hero emerged as new towns in honor of these veterans. It is open during the summer months, and offers a wonderful look into life during this time period.
Stop 6: Royal Blockhouse - North Hero, VT
During the later years of the Revolutionary War, the British built a blockhouse in North Hero on what is today known as Blockhouse Point. This was the center of British spy activity in the Champlain Valley, and played a central role in the very controversial “Haldimand Negotiations", where Ethan and Ira Allen, along with Thomas Chittenden and other Vermont leaders held secret meetings with British officials. These meetings were centered around Vermont joining the British Empire as a self-governing colony, since the United States Congress had repeatedly refused to admit Vermont as a separate state and demanded that the territory be a part of New York. Please note that the location of the blockhouse is private property, so this isn’t so much a “Stop” as a "drive-by sighting".
Stop 7: Burying Yard Point - Isle la Motte, VT
Isle la Motte is, in my opinion, the most historic town in Vermont. When you look at the facts, it’s hard to argue. Many veterans of the Revolutionary War are buried here on the point. It is likely some of those may have been casualties of the war during the smallpox-cursed continental forces as they retreated from Canada. There is a newish marker at this location to Remember Baker, a Green Mountain Boy and Ethan Allen’s cousin, who was killed while on a scouting mission in Canada. This marker was originally in Noyan, Quebec, but due to issues with the landowner, the marker was moved down to Isle la Motte. Here, just across the straight on Alburgh Tongue, a brief ambush took place when British and Canadian forces, along with First Nations Warriors, ambushed the Liberty causing a handful of American casualties.
Stop 8: Departure Site for Invasion of Canada - Isle la Motte, VT
It was near this location where the force of 1,200 continental forces gathered on the eve of the invasion of Canada. At Isle la Motte, General Philip Schuyler joined Richard Montgomery and the force before departing. Isle la Motte was an important stop for reinforcements heading to Canada during 1775 into 1776 before the retreat. In September 1776, Arnold had anchored his naval fleet off of Isle la Motte.
Stop 9: Saint Albans Museum - St. Albans, VT
The St. Albans Museum is a wonderful site in an old historic building. There is a surprising collection of Revolutionary War artifacts here, including a charred piece of the Royal Savage from the Battle of Valcour Island, in addition to other impressive artifacts. While here, you can learn more about the St. Albans Raid that took place during the last year of the Civil War, when Confederate raiders entered St. Albans from Canada and robbed 3 banks while killing a local. It was the furthest north military action of the Civil War.
Stop 10: Adam Beals Gravesite - St. Albans, VT
In Greenwood Cemetery lies the grave of Adam Beals. Beals was part of the Sons of Liberty group and took part in the Boston Tea Party in 1773, an act that all but guaranteed armed conflict with Great Britain. The Sons of Liberty, dressed as Mohawks, marched to Griffin’s Wharf, boarded the British vessels Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver, and dumped the tea and the chests overboard. He also served throughout the conflict before settling in St. Albans after the war.
Stop 11: Jeffrey Brace Historical Marker - Georgia, VT
Sometimes the most amazing history is right in your own back yard. Boyrereau Brinch was captured in Africa and taken across the Atlantic aboard the horrific slave trade vessels. He was sold into slavery and served in the French and Indian War. One of his masters taught him how to read and write, but was eventually sold to sadistic slaveholders in Connecticut. During the Revolutionary War, he served on the side of the Americans and eventually gained his freedom. He moved to Poultney but was harassed by his neighbors and eventually purchased land in Sheldon. Unfortunately he was swindled out of his rightful land by the town’s founders and eventually moved to Georgia. Here he lived a modest life and had a great struggle to prove his service in the Revolutionary War and gain his owed pension. He eventually published a book “The Memoirs of a Blind African Slave”, an incredible work that is a must read. It is one of only a handful of first-hand accounts of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. You will see a historic marker at Evarts Cemetery. It is unclear if he is buried in this cemetery, however.
