Brattleboro

Brattleboro Museum and Art Center

Museum · 10 Vernon St, Brattleboro, VT 05301

Located in the restored Union Station building, the museum holds collections documenting Brattleboro's history from the colonial period through the Revolution. Materials include documents from the Cumberland County convention, early Vermont Republic political records, and artifacts from the Connecticut River valley frontier defense period.

Connecticut River Historic Crossing Point

Landmark · Connecticut River, Brattleboro, VT 05301

The West Brattleboro area of the Connecticut River marks the principal ford and crossing point that made Brattleboro strategically significant during the colonial and Revolutionary War periods. Control of this crossing controlled movement along the Connecticut River corridor; militia units defending Brattleboro were, in effect, defending the river crossing against potential British and Loyalist raiding columns from the north and east.

Fort Dummer Site

Landmark · Fort Dummer State Park, Guilford, VT 05301

The site of Fort Dummer, established in 1724 as the first permanent European settlement in what is now Vermont, located just south of modern Brattleboro center on the west bank of the Connecticut River. The original fort protected Massachusetts settlers from Abenaki raids. During the Revolution, the site's military tradition informed Brattleboro's role as a Connecticut River valley defense hub. The original fort location is now submerged beneath the Vernon Dam reservoir.

Old South Congregational Church Site

Church · 1 Frost St, Brattleboro, VT 05301

The site of Brattleboro's original Congregational meetinghouse, which served as the political and social center of the community during the Revolutionary War period. Town meetings, militia musters, and political discussions that shaped Vermont's path to independence took place in and around this building. The current church structure dates to the early 19th century.

West Brattleboro Cemetery

Cemetery · Western Ave, Brattleboro, VT 05301

One of the oldest burial grounds in the Brattleboro area, containing graves of Revolutionary War-era settlers and militia soldiers who served in the Connecticut River valley defense. The cemetery's stones reflect the political and religious character of the frontier New England community that built Brattleboro during the 18th century.

Westminster Courthouse Massacre Site

Monument · Westminster, VT 05158

The site of the Cumberland County courthouse in Westminster, Vermont, where the March 13, 1775 confrontation between settlers and the county sheriff's posse resulted in the deaths of William French and Daniel Houghton. Often called the first bloodshed of the American Revolution outside New England, the event preceded Lexington and Concord by five weeks. A historical marker at the site commemorates the event and the graves of the victims in the nearby cemetery.