The Ethan Allen Homestead is a
historic house museum
A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that is preserved as a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a variety of ...
at 1 Ethan Allen Homestead in
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...
. It was built about 1787 by
Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, writer, military officer and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for the capture of Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolutionary War, and wa ...
, and is the only surviving residence of his in the state. It is open to the public annually from May to October. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1986.
History
Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, writer, military officer and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for the capture of Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolutionary War, and wa ...
(1738-1789) is widely revered as one of Vermont's greatest early public figures. Born in
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
, he speculated extensively with his brothers and other extended family members in land in Vermont, and was an instrumental figure in securing the territory's independence from
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
and its eventual statehood. In his later years he settled on a farm of in the
Winooski River
The Winooski River (also known as the Onion River) is a tributary of Lake Champlain, about long, in the northern half of Vermont. Although not Vermont's longest river, it is one of the state's most significant, forming a major valley way fro ...
valley, and probably built this house a few years before his death. In the 19th and 20th centuries the property was owned by others, but was generally recognized as having been Allen's.
[ with ] In the late 1980s a surviving remnant of the farm property was turned into a park and museum.
Description
The house is a modest -story post-and-beam structure, with a gable roof and clapboarded exterior. Its main facade is three bays wide, with a center entrance framed by simple molding and topped by a four-light transom window and cornice. The interior of the house follows a Georgian central-chimney plan, although the original massive brick chimney has been removed. The house is set on the floodplain of the Winooski River, between it and
Vermont Route 127.
[
]
See also
*
* List of the oldest buildings in Vermont
References
External links
Ethan Allen Homestead Museum web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Ethan, Homestead
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont
National Register of Historic Places in Burlington, Vermont
Houses completed in 1787
Houses in Chittenden County, Vermont
Museums in Burlington, Vermont
Historic house museums in Vermont