Brattleboro

Fort Dummer Established

Massachusetts established Fort Dummer on the Connecticut River's west bank in 1724 as the northernmost English settlement outpost in the region, protecting settlers from Abenaki raids and creating the military infrastructure Brattleboro built on through the Revolution.

New York Asserts Authority Over New Hampshire Grants

The British Privy Council ruled the Connecticut River — not the Hudson — was the New York-New Hampshire boundary, transferring jurisdiction over the New Hampshire Grants settlers to New York and invalidating thousands of land grants. Settlers who held titles from New Hampshire governor Wentworth found them contested by New York authorities issuing competing claims. This jurisdictional conflict directly caused the Green Mountain Boys' formation and the Westminster Massacre.

Westminster Massacre

A crowd of settlers in Westminster, Vermont, occupied the Cumberland County courthouse to prevent the New York–appointed court from sitting. The county sheriff raised a posse and ordered the building cleared; when the settlers refused, the posse fired into the crowd, killing William French and Daniel Houghton and wounding several others. The incident was immediately labeled a massacre by the settlers. A county convention convened within weeks declared the settlers' grievances and began the political process that led to Vermont's 1777 independence. The event preceded Lexington and Concord by five weeks.

News of Lexington and Concord Reaches Brattleboro

News of Lexington and Concord reached Brattleboro within days via the Connecticut River valley express rider network, accelerating militia mobilization already underway from the Westminster Massacre. The valley became the primary corridor for information, troops, and supplies moving between Massachusetts and Vermont throughout the war.

Vermont Declares Independence and Adopts Constitution

Vermont's constitutional convention, meeting at Windsor during a rainstorm that prevented delegates from departing, adopted the Vermont Constitution of 1777 — the first American constitution to abolish adult male slavery and the first to establish universal male suffrage without property qualifications. The document crystallized the political arguments that had been developing in Brattleboro and the Connecticut River valley since the New York land crisis. Vermont declared itself an independent republic, not one of the original thirteen states.

British-Allied Raiding Parties Strike Connecticut River Valley

British-allied Abenaki and Loyalist raiding parties struck Connecticut River valley settlements in 1777–1778, killing settlers, burning farms, and taking captives. Brattleboro's militia maintained ranger networks and blockhouses for early warning throughout the war.

Bayley-Hazen Military Road Proposed and Begun

General Jacob Bayley proposed and began a military road from Wells River northward to allow Continental Army access to Canada. Construction was halted in 1780 when it became clear the road could equally serve a British invasion southward.

Haldimand Affair: Vermont's Secret Negotiations with Britain

Ethan Allen and Ira Allen conducted secret negotiations with British General Haldimand in Quebec about Vermont potentially rejoining the British Empire. Whether this was genuine or a deliberate stratagem to deter invasion remains debated; the negotiations alarmed Congress but ended without agreement when Yorktown turned the war.

Yorktown Surrender News Arrives in Vermont

Cornwallis's surrender reached Vermont via the Connecticut River corridor, effectively ending Vermont's Haldimand negotiation calculations. Vermont remained an independent republic until its 1791 admission to the United States as the fourteenth state.

Vermont Admitted to the Union as the 14th State

Vermont was admitted as the fourteenth state on March 4, 1791 — the first new state after the original thirteen — resolving the New York jurisdictional disputes dating to the 1760s. Vermont paid New York $30,000 in compensation for disputed land claims.