Standoff at the Breakenridge Farm

July 3 – August 31, 2021

Decades before fighting the British, the Green Mountain Boys fought against New York for rights to the land we now call Vermont. After losing their cases in court, they turned to violence. In July of 1771 an armed group of settlers successfully chased off the New York sheriff and his posse who had come to serve eviction notice to James Breakenridge. Their success at the Breakenridge farm led to the creation of the independent state of Vermont.

Note, the confrontation took place near what is today McWaters Park, the Henry Bridge, and the Henry House in North Bennington.  None of those structures existed at the time of the conflict.