Ethan Allen: Folk Hero and His Contemporary Frontiersmen
October 17, 2021 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Ethan Allen: Folk Hero and His Contemporary Frontiersmen
A Bennington Historical Society Presentation
Ethan Allen was many things to many people. This presentation will focus on his role as a folk hero. Allen’s initial contact with Vermont was as a frontiersman, exploring the land in the late 1760s. As a hunter and trapper, he lived in the wilderness, beyond the bounds of the early settlements. The knowledge of the land and settlers he met along the way paved the way for later land speculation, settlements, and governance. The Ethan Allen we know today reflects a larger-than-life image, based in part on truth, legend, and hyperbole, i.e., the “folk hero” of the 14th State.
Don Miller will compare the folk heroes from the 15th, 16th, and 17th states, from Daniel Boone to Davy Crocket. What do the contemporaries have in common? How are the different? What role does the folk hero play in our story?
Don Miller is an active student of history, past President of the Bennington Historical Society, and currently a Board member of the Vermont Historical Society.
This program will take place in person. A recording will be available for later viewing.
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The Bennington Historical Society is a volunteer-run program of Bennington Museum. The BHS offers its programs at no charge. Please consider supporting the efforts of the BHS to share the history of our region by making a donation.
