Ethan Allen Homestead

After Britain won the French and Indian War the land that is now Vermont became British territory. The bordering territories of New York and New Hampshire both claimed the right to grant land in the new territory but in1764 King George III extended the New York border to New Hampshire and the Vermont land became part of New York. The landowners who had grants from New Hampshire were required to buy the land a second time from New York.

Of course this was not a popular move with all of the people from New Hampshire who had land grants and led to the formation of the Green Mountain Boys by Ethan Allen and his brothers. The Green Mountain Boys drove away surveyors and incoming tenants and in 1777 delegates from twenty eight Vermont towns met and declared independence from Britain and also from neighboring states, New York and New Hampshire. The Green Mountain Boy fought on the side of the patriots in the Revolutionary War but Vermont was an independent state until 1791 when it joined the United States.

The Ethan Allen Homestead has a small, two room museum with one room representing a tavern where a short film is shown. The original Allen house is open for guided tours four times a day. There are wooden walkways under the windows so that people can peek in when tour are not being conducted. Examples of an Abenaki dwelling and other structures that would be found in a village have been recreated on the grounds.

 

The museum is accessible. The trail to the Abenaski dwelling is hard packed gravel and dirt but there's a short drop from the museum's concrete patio to the trail. The grass at the Abenaski site is hard to push through.The trail to the house is hard packed dirt and gravel but it doesn't go all the way to the house. The last section is grass and difficult to push along. There's a ramp at the rear entrance of the house but our tour guide did not have a key.

The parking lot is large enough for RVs. Museum  44.50836, -73.23193