Remenants of Ann Story's cabin in Salisbury, Vermont. Ok actually a recreation built in the 1960's leading up to the bi-cenntenial. Unfortunately it burned to the ground in 2018. The site is the original location of Ann Story's cabin and the reconstruction was historically correct, even using old timbers during construction.
There is a historical marker on the site that was placed in 1905 by the "Vermont Society of Colonial Dames" 😂 great name! You can't make this stuff up.
By now you are probably wondering who Ann Story was... Here is a storyboard also at the location of her cabin.
We are watching the American Revolution by Ken Burns on PBS and were inspired to visit some local history from the war.
The cabin is in Salisbury, Vermont. Ann Story was the second settler in Salisbury. And settlered here with her family after her husband was killed while clearing the site (by a falling tree!).
Ann Story was a supporter of the Green Mountain Boys supplying a place to stay, provisions including ammunition and spying on the loyalist in the area. (Not my picture of the flag although there is one flying at the Ann Story cabin site.) The Green Mountains Boys and Ethan Allen were key to the first American victory of the American Revolution - the taking of Fort Ticonderoga on the Lake Champlain which is the current border between Vermont and upstate New York. Vermont was the 14th state admitted into the Union in 1791. From 1777 to 1791 Vermont was an independent republic. The Green Mountain Boys played an early role in the American Revolution but were largely formed to dispute New York claims to Vermont.
The Green Mountain Boys, a book by D.P. Thomson, a published in 1840 was responsible for imprinting the story of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys in the public consciousness and Ann Story is also in that book. (Photo of bookcover is not my own.)
Since we were learning about Ann Story, we proceeded to her gravesite which is not far from her cabin.
The Farmingdale Veterns Cemetery is a private cemetery currently owned and maintained by the local American Legion.
Ann Story is buried as Mrs. Hannah Goodrich next to her third husband.
Impressive woman!
Yes indeed. The most famous story about her is she was sheltering a young mother with a small child that had been widowed. The loyalist were in the area and found Ann because the baby cried. The loyalist threatened to shoot her if she didn't give up where Ethan Allen was hiding. She defied the loyalist and he didn't shoot her but stomped off angrily. Ann then had the presence of mind, to tell Ethan Allen about the loyalist. Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys then captured the loyalist and 20 others taking them off to Fort Ticonderoga as prisoners.
You are surrounded by so much of the early history of this country. Fascinating stuff!
We felt remiss in not having visited more of the sites around here. Fort Ticonderoga and Bennington Battle Monument are definitely on our list to visit after watching the Ken Burns documentary.