New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Vermont

The 1946 Disappearance of Paula Welden on Vermont’s Long Trail

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Police circulated photograph of Paula Jean WeldenIn December 1946, 18-year-old Bennington College sophomore Paula Jean Welden disappeared while walking alone on Vermont‘s Long Trail, which passes a few miles from the college. Local sheriffs were criticized for errors made in the investigation, which led to the creation of the Vermont State Police.

The Welden case, which inspired Shirley Jackson’s second novel Hangsaman, was one of several unexplained disappearances in the same area at the time. Her college dormitory, Dewey House, remains standing on campus. [Read more…] about The 1946 Disappearance of Paula Welden on Vermont’s Long Trail

Fort Ticonderoga To Reenact 1777 Brown’s Raid

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1777 Bown's Raid reenactment photo by Mark Morello (courtesy Fort Ticonderoga)After the British capture of Fort Ticonderoga on July 5, 1777, Major General Benjamin Lincoln was ordered to Vermont to organize militia being raised in New England, with part of his mission to harass General John Burgoyne‘s long supply and communication lines to Canada. That September, following the Battle of Bennington, Lincoln sent three 500-man detachments to take on this task. [Read more…] about Fort Ticonderoga To Reenact 1777 Brown’s Raid

NY-VT Border Conflict Dramatization Planned for June 18th

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Robert Ebert of Bennington directs a rehearsal for a dramatization of a crisis that befell Arlington 250 years agoThe public is invited to a dramatization of the immediate aftermath of the capture and rescue of Arlington settler and Green Mountain Boy Captain Remember Baker.

On March 21, 1772 a posse of New Yorkers under John Munro (1728-1800) attempted to collect the New York bounty on Baker at his cabin at what is now East Arlington, Vermont. The area was initially claimed by New Hampshire, but New York, which also claimed the territory, began issuing grants of its own, some of which conflicted with those already made by New Hampshire. Armed conflicts between the rival claimants were common, and the Green Mountain Boys were organized to expel the settlers from New York. The dispute was resolved when Vermont (originally called New Connecticut) was established as an independent republic in 1777. [Read more…] about NY-VT Border Conflict Dramatization Planned for June 18th

Winooski Celebrates A 100th Anniversary

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winooskiThe history of the City of Winooski in Chittenden County, Vermont goes back when Indigenous People inhabited the area, and the Abenaki tribes in the area referred to land as winoskitegw or “land of the wild onion.”

The falls along the Winooski River meant that the area was attractive to industry in the Colonial and post-Colonial periods, and in the years that followed, the city became known for manufacturing textiles. [Read more…] about Winooski Celebrates A 100th Anniversary

Albany Posse! The Capture of Remember Baker, Captain of the Green Mountain Boys

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The Green Mountain Boys in Council by Benson LossingBetween 1749 and 1764 colonial governor of the Province of New Hampshire Benning Wenworth made about 135 land grants (now known as the New Hampshire Grants), including 131 towns, on land claimed by New Hampshire west of the Connecticut River.  This area was also claimed by the colonial Province of New York.

From the 1760s until 1779 the Green Mountain Boys, led by Ethan Allen and his brother Ira, controlled the area. Based at a tavern in Bennington, they evaded arrest warrants from New York State and harassed settlers from New York, surveyors, and other officials, often with severe beatings and destruction of their belongings. [Read more…] about Albany Posse! The Capture of Remember Baker, Captain of the Green Mountain Boys

Replica Canal Schooner Lois McClure Being Retired, Dismantled

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The replica canal schooner Lois McClure (Lake Champlain Maritime Museum photo)In October 2023, after 20 years of service, the replica sailing canal schooner Lois McClure will be retired, the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum announced today.  The original Lois McClure was built in 1862.

The replica was initiated in 2001 and launched in 2004 with the goal of better understanding the region’s unique nineteenth century sailing canal schooners, which allowed travel on the region’s narrow canals and sailing on open waters.

Since it’s launch the replica schooner toured the region bringing this history to local communities around Lake Champlain and connecting waterways. [Read more…] about Replica Canal Schooner Lois McClure Being Retired, Dismantled

Revolutionary Albany: Setbacks As The War Presses Toward Albany

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Brigadier-General Richard Montgomery's troops prepare to embark for the invasion of Canada from Crown Point, New York in 1775After a late-summer of preparations, too late in the fall of 1775, the Colonial Army mounted a two-pronged invasion of Canada. General Schuyler invaded Montreal from Fort Ticonderoga and General Benedict Arnold attacked Quebec.

Schuyler fell ill and was replaced by General Richard Montgomery. Montgomery took Montreal and then marched to assist Arnold at Quebec. [Read more…] about Revolutionary Albany: Setbacks As The War Presses Toward Albany

Stephen Bates: From Slave to Vermont’s First Black Sheriff

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Stephen BatesVermont’s earliest known Black Sheriff and Chief of Police, Stephen Bates was first elected Sheriff of Vergennes, Vermont in 1879, fourteen years after the end of the Civil War. City records show that Bates was elected Sheriff in all but six of the 29 years that followed. He was also appointed Chief of Police several times during this period.

A well-respected citizen who had escaped slavery in the south, Bates raised his family and was very involved in the community life of Vergennes. He sang in the choir of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, participated in Republican Party gatherings, and was appointed to a campaign committee. He also trained thoroughbred horses, and was appointed an agent for the Humane Society. [Read more…] about Stephen Bates: From Slave to Vermont’s First Black Sheriff

Truman Kingsley: ‘Boss Drummer’ of the Civil War

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Truman Kingsley courtesy of The Folklife Center at Crandall Public LibraryTruman Kingsley of Glens Falls, Warren County, NY was a drummer in the Civil War. When he returned home from battle, he never stopped drumming.

Kingsley, who was 44 when he enlisted in the Union Army, was older than many of his fellow veterans, who averaged 25.8 years old when they served, according to the American Battlefield Trust. [Read more…] about Truman Kingsley: ‘Boss Drummer’ of the Civil War