Bill > HCR035

This concurrent resolution commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Westminster Massacre, a pivotal event in pre-Revolutionary Vermont history. The resolution recounts how in 1775, local Whigs (supporters of American independence) were experiencing oppressive legal actions by Tory officials in Cumberland County, which at the time was part of New York. On March 13, 1775, 100 Whigs occupied a courthouse to protest these actions, leading to a confrontation with Sheriff William Paterson and his posse. During the incident, the sheriff ordered his men to fire on the protesters, resulting in the deaths of William French and Daniel Houghton. The following day, 400 armed local militia responded by recapturing the courthouse, imprisoning the New York officials, and effectively ending New York's governance in the area. The resolution highlights this event as potentially the first bloodshed of the American Revolution and symbolically important to Vermont's path to independence, which would be formally declared in Westminster in January 1777. The resolution officially commemorates this historical moment and directs the Secretary of State to send a copy to the Westminster Historical Society.

https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/H.C.R.35