D Am35 cbg v.4 bnnedicut Bicentennial no.5 GAZETTE Oak VOLUME IV NUMBER 5 MAY 1975 TICONDEROGA-CROWN POINT CONNECTICUT MEN PLAN, FINANCE AND LEAD CAPTURE CONNECTICUT v. STATE LIBRARY * • MAT 3 u 1975 I . HARTFORD, ON NECTICUT The sleeping British sentry is about to be rudely awakened by Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys during the Bi­ centennial re-enactment of "America's First Victory" on May 10th at Fort Ticonderoga. All the participants were direct de­ scendants of the original force. THE FIRST VICTORY other artillery were badly needed by the colonists, now preparing to face well-equipped British troops on the bat­ Of course, we'll remember and speak of with pride tlefield. Seth Warner and others, who fought by his side; Connecticut can lay claim to a great part in this under­ And grand Ethan Allen, the hero all over, taking. The principals, including Ethan Allen, Benedict Who conquered Fort Ti, in the name of Jehovah! Arnold and Seth Warner, were all natives of our state. The William Cothren expedition was financed by a group of Representatives to Woodbury, CT the Connecticut General Assembly; backing with their Speech on the Ticonderoga personal notes 300 taken from the state Treasury. A four- Centennial, 1875 man Committee of War, led by Captain Edward Mott of Preston, left Hartford with 6 or 8 additional volunteers on Plans and preparations for war with England developed April 28th. More men joined in Salisbury and Colonel swiftly in the aftermath of the Lexington Alarm. The tak­ Easton and his men met the group in Pittsfield, Mass. Word ing of Fort Ticonderoga and surrounding garrisons, the was sent ahead to Allen informing him of the expedition. first overt war offensive against British forces in the colo­ Living in the New Hampshire Grants (Vermont), Allen nies, was planned and executed three weeks after the was the leader of The Green Mountain Boys and brought Massachusetts incident. The fort was an obvious choice along about 100 of his men when he joined, and he was for attack. Already familiar to those patriots who had given command of the expedition. fought in the French and Indian War, it was a key to con­ In Boston, a similar plan was developing. The Massachu­ trol of the Champlain-Hudson River waterway. Its capture setts Provincial Committee of Safety commissioned Bene­ would establish a defense against the strong British influ­ dict Arnold to lead an attack on the fort. Arnold was in ence in Canada. Most important, the fort's cannons and continued on next page rv VICTORY continued from page 1 Boston with the New Haven Company, in response to the Lexington Alarm. His troops did not accompany him to New York, and he planned to recruit men from Western Massachusetts, but encountered the Connecticut expedition before this was accomplished. Arnold bid for command on the basis of having the most authoritative backing, but a co-command between Allen and Arnold was decided on. It was accurately predicted that the take-over would be easily accomplished. The forts were known to be in disrepair and manned by only remnants of British forces. In the pre-dawn hours of May 10th, the surrender was swift, bloodless and complete. Not a shot was fired. Side by side, Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold entered the fort with about 80 men. Captain William Delaplace, Com­ mander, was aroused and told to surrender. He inquired: "In the name of . ?" and it is forever remembered that Ethan Allen thundered: "In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!" The Sarah Whitman Hooker House, West Hartford, is Only eighty or so men crossed the lake on May 10th to under consideration for restoration. participate in the fort's takeover. One of those who was left behind was Seth Warner. He later organized a group of men and went further north and overtook the Crown Point PRESERVATION holdings, adding more cannon to the colonist's inventory. IN THE NAME OF THE BICENTENNIAL Seth Warner's exploit will be honored in his hometown of National Historic Preservation Week Roxbury on May 18th. At that time the State of Connecti­ May 12-18 cut will award him his Commission as a Major-General, two Major historic preservation projects are being under­ hundred years late. The ceremony will be held on the Rox­ taken throughout Connecticut for the Bicentennial. A wide­ bury Green at the monument to Warner. spread awareness of the historical and architectural signifi­ In Connecticut, on hearing of the success of the expedi­ cance of many types of sites is evident in projects of local tion, Governor Trumbull ordered a regiment (just after the Bicentennial committees. In keeping with the directive of Articles of War had been adopted) under Colonel Hinman, the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration, that to take command of Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point. a "lasting reminder" be a part of each commemoration, Arnold would not serve under this command, and de­ many towns and cities have chosen to preserve existing parted. community resources. Often, the undertaking is in addition The cannon were finally hauled to Boston, but did not to a program begun by the local historical society or other reach there until the next February. organization, for preservation is a long-term effort. Many The Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia at of the projects have received grants-in-aid from the ARBCC the same time, was embarrassed by the takeover, but the and the Connecticut Historical Commission. Examples are general effect had been to boost the morale of all patriots. given below. Ethan Allen's words expressed this feeling: "The sun CEMETERIES are being restored in Bethlehem, Bridge­ seemed to rise that morning with a superior lustre and port, Bristol, Derby, Durham, East Granby, Haddam, Ticonderoga and its dependencies smiled on its conquerors Harwinton, Madison, New Fairfield, Oxford and West Ha­ who tossed about the flowing bowl and wished success to ven. Congress and the liberty and freedom of America." CHURCH/MEETING HOUSE: Bethel « 4 tf O FACTORIES: Lebanon's Broom Factory, the mill in Bur­ lington, the Ledyard sawmill and the Eli Whitney Armory COMMISSION ON THE ARTS in New Haven FUNDS BICENTENNIAL PROJECTS FORTS: Fort Nathan Hale in West Haven, Fort Stamford The Connecticut Commission on the Arts has awarded and Fort Griswold in Groton twenty-one grants, totaling $138,000.00 in a one-time Bi­ HOUSES: The David Humphreys House, Ansonia; a car­ centennial exemplary grant program. Among the projects riage house in Bethany; The Frisbee House in Cromwell; funded were feasibility studies for arts centers in New Enfield's Parsons House; The Staples Homestead in Farm­ Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport, two original plays, a ington; Welles-Shipman Tavern, Glastonbury; Knapps Tav­ study of Black artisans and architects in Connecticut, multi­ ern, Greenwich; The Stockade House in Milford; The media productions on the history of two state centers for Kellogg-Eddy House in Newington; The Huguenot House, the arts, the Brookfield Craft Center and the Goodspeed New London; Ward House, Norwalk; The Amos Eno Opera House, sculpture and exhibits. House, Simsbury; The Phillips House in Waterford, and In announcing the grants, Anthony S. Keller, executive The Sarah Hooker House in West Hartford. Director said: "Our agency is using its Bicentennial pro­ JAIL: Norwalk gramming energy as much as possible to look forward, not SCHOOLHOUSES: Ashford Academy, the Pine Grove backward. 1976 will be, for us, a point of departure for Schoolhouse in Avon, The Nathan Hale Schoolhouse in strengthening the arts in Connecticut and the bond be­ New London and schools in Coventry, East Hartford, tween the people of the state and the arts." Waterford and Wolcott. A descriptive release on the awards is available from TOLLHOUSE: Montville the agency, located at 340 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, Con­ TOWN HALLS: Enfield, Canton, Coventry and Southbury necticut 06106. In addition, surveys and other publications are in the • a a a works across the state. 2 up. It celebrates a Bicentennial this year. After the capture of British troops at Fort Ticonderoga (May 10, 1775) two of the officers were housed by Mrs. Hooker and kept under the care of her slave, Bristol. Although treated badly rnr by the townspeople during their stay, the men presented 0VD TO*N H, -fNflPLD Mrs. Hooker with a gold ring for her kindnesses. A plan to relocate the house is presently under study by the West Hartford Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Sarah Whitman Hooker House Association, Inc. Fort Nathan Hale in West Haven, site of a battle of the Revolution during the invasion of New Haven in 1779, will be a major restoration project for the West Haven Committee. Black Rock Fort will be reconstructed on the original site, and the whole site is being planned as a permanent historic park. Essential handbooks for planning for preservation in Connecticut are Volumes I-III of Historic Preservation: A Plan for Connecticut. These have been sent to all public This Enfield landmark will become a Community Center. libraries in the state. The restoration is a project of the Enfield Bicentennial Commission. S. J. Raiche photo. In Enfield, a new adaptive use has been planned for the Old Town Hall, a building which had already served as a meeting house. It was the site of Captain Abbey's famous Filitu "drumming out," when news of the Lexington Alarm reached Enfield while citizens were at a church service. In 1848, the building was moved across the street and "up­ dated" with Greek Revival modifications and used as the Town Hall until the 1920's.