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The Ethan Allen Homestead Museum presents our Free Monthly Lecture: "Water, Power, and Revolution on the Winooski River" by Zachary Bennet, Professor of History at Norwich University.This event is in-person in the museum's tavern. Free for all to attend. Complimentary refreshments provided. The program will be recorded by CCTV and later available on the museum's YouTube channel (@EthanAllenHomestead).
ABOUT THIS MONTH'S LECTURE:
When picking a spot to settle in the New Hampshire Grants in the 1770s, Ira Allen described “the lands contiguous to Onion River…the country my soul delighted in.” Beyond the proximity of meadows, lakes, and fertile land, it was the Winooski Falls that caused Ira’s heart to skip a beat. The Winooski River was the most important energy source in Vermont at the time of the Revolution, and Ira knew whoever harnessed its powers would achieve economic and political mastery over the region. The course of rivers like the Winooski led people such as Ira Allen west, causing tensions with the British Empire. After the Revolution, the currents of these same rivers pulled Vermonters in directions that threatened the precarious unity of the new American republic.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Zachary Bennett is an Assistant Professor of History at Norwich University. His research explores the environmental history of early New England and the Caribbean. Professor Bennett’s first book, Contested Currents: Rivers and the Remaking of New England, published by Penn Press, retells the history of the Northeast through the perspective of the region’s many rivers, arguing that Native Americans, colonists, and others primarily fought to control waterpower instead of land.
Originally from Maine, he received his Ph.D. in history from Rutgers University. His work has appeared in various academic journals, with his article "Canoes of Great Swiftness: Rivercraft and War in the Northeast" winning the Murrin Prize from the McNeil Center of Early American Studies.
ABOUT THE EAHM'S FREE MONTHLY LECTURE SERIES:
The Homestead Monthly Lecture Program is free for all the attend. It covers various topics pertaining to Vermont history, early American history, and the Homestead site. Each lecture is followed by Q&A with the presenter.
To find out more information, including upcoming speakers, please visit: https://ethanallenhomestead.org/programs/lecture-series/
The EAHM's Free Monthly Lecture Series is sponsored in party by M&T Bank, and Northfield Savings Bank.
ABOUT THE ETHAN ALLEN HOMESTEAD MUSEUM:
The Ethan Allen Homestead Museum is a 501c3 nonprofit run mostly by community volunteers. The Museum depends on volunteers and donations in order to host community programs like this one.
To support the Homestead Museum's mission and community programs, you can make a tax-deductible donation online at: https://ethanallenhomestead.org/support-us/
To find out more about volunteering, email [email protected].
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Event venue
1 Ethan Allen Homestead, Burlington, VT, United States, Vermont 05408
Tickets
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