The Old Constitution House is a historic house at 16 North Main Street in Windsor,

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

. It is the birthplace of the

Vermont Republic The Vermont Republic ( French: ''République du Vermont''), officially known at the time as the State of Vermont ( French: ''État du Vermont''), was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791. The ...

and the Constitution of the State of Vermont. A mid-18th century building built in a simple Georgian

architectural style An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building or other structure notable or historically identifiable. It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts generally, and most styles in architecture relate closely ...

, the Old Constitution House was originally called the Windsor Tavern, and belonged to Elijah West at the time of the signing of the constitution. The house is a Vermont State Historic Site, and is administered by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. It is also listed on

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

, separately since March 11, 1971 as well as a part of the Windsor Village Historic District since April 23, 1975.

History

The land presently identified as Vermont had multiple claims upon it in the 18th century. British Royal governors from

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the n ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

claimed portions of the area, and settlers from Connecticut and Massachusetts had claimed land and begun settlement. In 1764 British

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Bri ...

ruled that New York had jurisdiction of the area, even though most of its settlement had taken place under New Hampshire-issued grants. Settlers faced continuing competing claims and demands for tax from both New Hampshire and New York, and exorbitant costs to transfer grants from New Hampshire to New York. The conflict continued and grew, and

Ethan Allen Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, lay theologian, American Revolutionary War patriot, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and f ...

and the

Green Mountain Boys The Green Mountain Boys were a militia organization first established in 1770 in the territory between the British provinces of New York and New Hampshire, known as the New Hampshire Grants and later in 1777 as the Vermont Republic (which late ...

formed a militia aligned primarily against the New York colony and its governor. In January 1777 representatives of the grants met in convention at

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

. The convention declared its independence from all external forces, and adopted the name "New Connecticut." The group reconvened on June 4, 1777, at Windsor, a letter by Dr. Thomas Young of Philadelphia, who supported the attempt of independence, was read. Young urged the adoption of the name "Vermont" and the creation of a constitution for Vermont. On July 2, 1777, a constitutional convention met in Windsor at Elijah West's tavern. A new constitution, taking inspiration from Benjamin Franklin's constitution for the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appa ...

, was drafted. This constitution went further than Pennsylvania's in establishing civil liberties. It became the first constitution in the new world to outlaw

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and

indentured servitude Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an " indenture", may be entered "voluntarily" for purported eventual compensation or debt repaymen ...

, it provided universal manhood suffrage without requirement of property ownership, and required the free education of its citizens, male and female, at public expense. The constitutional convention continued for several days, hammering out the distribution of powers, the rights of three co-equal branches of government, and the rights of the citizens. During this period the British, under Lieutenant General John Burgoyne captured

Fort Ticonderoga Fort Ticonderoga (), formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century star fort built by the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain, in northern New York, in the United States. It was constructed by Canadian-born French mi ...

, and Mount Independence. Settlers in Vermont's western towns were panicked and began to flee. The American forces in the form of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

slowed the British advance, giving the Green Mountain Boys time to respond in force. On the morning of July 8, 1777 news of the British advances had panicked the convention, several called for adjournment and suggested reconvening later. A violent thunderstorm with heavy downpour kept delegates in West's Tavern and the document was completed, and signed. The Vermont Republic was begun, and continued for fourteen years. In 1791 Vermont joined the federal union, becoming the first state admitted after the original thirteen.

Preserving the Old Constitution House

Elijah West's tavern was originally located near the center of town. It continued to function as a tavern until 1848 when it was converted to space for a store and light manufacturing. Around 1870 the house was moved to a side street and became a residential tenement. In 1890 the house was converted to a warehouse. In 1901 efforts to preserve the Old Constitution House began. In 1911 a group called the Old Constitution House Association was formed towards acquiring and restoring the house. Shortly after the house was donated by its owners, the Fay family, to the association, and property for the house's present location was given by

William M. Evarts William Maxwell Evarts (February 6, 1818February 28, 1901) was an American lawyer and statesman from New York who served as U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Senator from New York. He was renowned for his skills as a litig ...

. By 1914 sufficient funds for the restoration had been raised, and work began under the direction of architect Sheldon Newton. The Old Constitution House Association continued to operate the house as a museum until 1961 when it transferred ownership to the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. The house has been restored to approximate a tavern with period rooms showing a tavern room, dining room, tea parlor and guest rooms. Many of the historic items have been donated by descendants of the delegates and by the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promot ...

References

Notes

Sources

* Allen, Ira. ''The Natural and Political History of the State of Vermont, one of the United States of America.'' Original publication 1798, Charles E. Tuttle Company: 1969. . * Doyle, William T. "The Vermont Political Tradition and Those Who Helped Make It." Doyle Publisher: 1987. . * Duffy, John J., et al. ''Vermont: An Illustrated History.'' American Historical Press: 2000. . * Klyza, Christopher McGrory, and Stephen C. Trombulak. ''The Story of Vermont: A Natural and Cultural History''. University Press of New England: 1999. . * Orton, Vrest. ''Personal Observations on the Republic of Vermont.'' Academy Books: 1981. . * Potash, P. Jeffrey, et al. ''Freedom and Unity: A History of Vermont.'' Vermont Historical Society: 2004. . * Van de Water, Frederic Franklyn. ''The Reluctant Republic: Vermont 1724–1791''. The Countryman Press: 1974. .

External links