Westminster Courthouse
Westminster, Vermont is the foundational cornerstone of Vermont: in this latest installment of This Place in History, Vermont Historical Society executive director Stephen Perkins visits the Westminster Courthouse, where he chats with Jessie Haas of the Westminster Historical Society about the "Westminster Massacre" that took place in 1775. At the time, both New York and New Hampshire claimed the territory for themselves, and on March 13th, a group of farmers arrived to close down the courthouse, prompting a crackdown from the local sheriff and his posse, who stormed the courthouse and killed two men.
Years later, the courthouse was the site where the residents of the territory formed the state of New Connecticut: later renamed Vermont.
This Place in History is produced in partnership by Local 22 & Local 44 (www.mychamplainvalley.com) and the Vermont Historical Society.
