Ethan Allen and the Hidden History of Burlington
September 17, 2024

What would Vermont be if not for Ethan Allen? Perhaps the Green Mountains would still be part of the Empire or Granite State.

Allen, a Revolutionary War hero, is best known for leading the Green Mountain Boys during the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775.

In his adopted home state, statues of Vermont’s founding father stand tall in places like Burlington, Montpelier and Manchester.

-An Ethan Allen statue in Green Mount Cemetery in Burlington, where he is buried. Courtesy image / Vermont Historical Society

Allen was a man of contrasts: he was a daring military leader, land speculator, philosopher, prisoner of war and one of the founders of the State of Vermont. He was also a heavy drinker with a larger-than-life personality who lived by his own rules.

“He was a hero, but he was a complicated hero,” says Glenn Fay of Burlington, an author, historian and seventh-generation Vermonter. “You have these contrasts with Ethan as this incredible egotist, and at the same time, he made great sacrifices.”

Born in Connecticut, Allen spent his later years on a Burlington farm near the Winooski River, now the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum, which is open to the public May 1 to Oct. 31.

“There’s also folklore about him,” Fay says. “In Ethan’s case, a lot of it gets repeated and changes over time. So, it’s like, ‘He got bit by a rattlesnake and his blood alcohol was so high that it killed the snake.’”

Fay, a descendant of one of the Green Mountain Boys, is author of a new book, Ambition of the Remarkable Family of Ethan Allen. He’s also a board member of the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum and author of Hidden History of Burlington Vermont.

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-Burlington’s Waterfront in the 19th century. Courtesy image / UVM Collections

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Happy Vermont Podcast: Burlington’s History is Hiding in Plain Sight

In this episode of Happy Vermont, Fay shares insight into what makes Allen a complicated, intriguing figure. He also talks about Burlington’s history, including how:

• • Burlington was once the third largest lumber port in the country, after Chicago and Albany. The city’s strategic location on Lake Champlain made it a key port for transporting timber to other regions.
  • In 1910, half the population were first- or second-generation immigrants. This included French Canadians, Irish, Jewish and Italian immigrants.
  • Burlington once had a Little Italy neighborhood.
  • American philosopher and educator John Dewey is buried on UVM’s campus.
  • More than 300 shipwrecks are at the bottom of Lake Champlain.

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-Main image: Ethan Allen Homestead / Courtesy photo

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