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On July 8, 1777, the first Constitution
of the “Free and Independent State of Vermont” was
adopted at the Windsor Tavern owned by Elijah West.
West's
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| The Vermont Constitution
was adopted at this tavern during a violent thunderstorm
in 1777. |
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tavern, the location of many of
the deliberations charting the future of Vermont, is
now preserved as a historic site and called “The Old
Constitution House.”
BIRTH
OF A REPUBLIC
The region now known as Vermont was claimed by its
neighbors for much of the 18th century. New Hampshire
had chartered 138 towns west of the Connecticut River
by the early 1760s, and the territory became known
as the “New Hampshire Grants.” New York, also with
early claims to the region, persuaded King George
III to give it legal authority over the Grants in
1764. Led by Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys,
many residents in the Grants opposed New York’s jurisdiction
because of the large fees involved in transferring
title to their lands. Conflicts between New York and
the settlers were to continue for the next 26 years.
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| VERMONT’S
CONSTITUTION |
Modeled
after Benjamin Franklin’s Constitution
for Pennsylvania, the Vermont Constitution
contains a plan of government and
declaration of rights. The Vermonters,
however, made some significant changes.
Their constitution was the first
in America to prohibit slavery and
the first to establish universal
manhood suffrage without the requirements
of property ownership or specific
income for voting rights. The Vermont
Constitution was also the first
to establish a system of public
schools. Amended over the years,
Vermont’s Constitution continues
to provide the framework of modern
state government. View the Constitution
at the Vermont
State Archives web site.
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In January 1777, representatives
of the Grants held a convention at Westminster and
declared their independence. They called their new
state “New Connecticut.” On
June 4, 1777, a group of 72 delegates from New Connecticut
met at Windsor where a letter was read from Dr. Thomas
Young of Philadelphia. Young, a strong supporter of
the settlers, advised them of the necessary steps
for statehood and recommended that the Republic change
its name to “Vermont.” This was done. The new name,
derived from the French, meant “Green Mountain,” one
of the chief features of the region. “A grand convention
. . . to form a constitution for the state of Vermont”
convened at Windsor on July 2nd.
In the days following, British forces
captured the fort complex of Ticonderoga and Mount
Independence. Under the command of Lieutenant General
John Burgoyne, the British pursued the retreating
American forces and met American General Arthur St.
Clair’s rear guard at Hubbardton
on July 7th. The Americans successfully delayed the
British advance, but the proximity of the British
forced many of the inhabitants on the west side of
the Green Mountains to flee.
News of these alarming events
reached Windsor on July 8th. Having just reconvened
at Elijah West’s tavern, the convention almost immediately
disbanded. According to tradition, however, a violent
thunderstorm delayed them long enough so that the
Constitution could be voted on and accepted amidst
a “baptism of thunder, lightning and rain.” Vermont
existed as a Republic, for fourteen years, until 1791
when it was admitted to the Union as the fourteenth
state, the first after the original thirteen.
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| The Old Constitution
House before restoration. |
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FROM TAVERN TO MUSEUM
Elijah West's tavern
was originally located on Main Street in the center
of Windsor village. The building functioned as a tavern
until 1848 when it was converted and used for retail
merchandizing and small manufacturing shops. Later,
around 1870, the building was moved to a side street
and converted into a tenement house and then, around
1890, the building was turned into a warehouse. The
original location of the Old Constitution House is
now a small park.
Efforts to perserve the Old Constitution House began
in 1901, and in 1911 the "Old Consitution House
Association" was formed. The Association received
title to the building by donation from the Fay family.
The land for the new location was given by the family
of William M. Evarts, a Windsor resident who had been
the chief counsel for the defense in the impeachment
trial of President Andrew Johnson and had served as Secretary
of State for President Rutherford B. Hayes. By 1914
sufficient funds had been raised for its restoration.
Lewis Sheldon Newton of Hartford was the architect
for this project.
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| Elijah West's
tavern as it may have appeared in 1777. |
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The Old Constitution
House Association maintained the building as a museum
and public tea room for many years. In 1961, the Association
transferred ownership of the house and its collections
to the State of Vermont. It is now part of a state-wide
system of historic sites preserved and operated by
the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.
The Old Constitution
House features period rooms that reflect its use as
an early tavern. A large interpretive area in the
early 20th century tea room examines the events surrounding
the signing of the Vermont Constitution. The collection
at the Old Constitution House contains many peices
donated to the State of Vermont by area residents
and by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
| HOURS |
Open late May through mid-October
Wednesday-Sunday
11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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ADMISSION
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Adults $2.50
Children 14 and under, free
For group (15 or more) reservations, telephone
(802) 672-3773
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| NEARBY
AMENITIES |
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| HOW
TO GET HERE |
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Old Constitution House State Historic Site
16 North Main Street
Windsor, VT 05089
The Old Constitution House is located on Main
Street at the northern end of the village of
Windsor on U.S. Route 5, between exits 8 and
9 on Interstate 91.
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TO CONTACT US |
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