Vermonters gather at the Ann Story cabin in Salisbury to celebrate the Revolutionary War heroine.
By Kyle Neece, for the Community News Service
SALISBURY — On the morning of May 30, Vermonters gathered at the site of a cabin belonging to Revolutionary War hero Ann Story. Known as the “Mother of the Green Mountain Boys,” Story’s legacy will now be honored with a roadside marker that will be placed at the intersection of Story Drive and Shard Villa Road.
At the unveiling ceremony, actors performed a play recounting Story’s life. Story was an 18th-century Vermonter who helped the Green Mountain Boys as a spy during the Revolutionary War, and her cabin was a refuge for the militia.
Ann Story grew up in Preston, Connecticut, and married Amos Story in 1755. They had five children together and moved to Vermont in 1775. After Amos died cutting down a tree, the widowed Story moved to the farm in Salisbury with their five children.
During the Revolutionary War, the Story family remained on their land. In 1776, British allies burned the cabin. Story and her children rebuilt the house and added a trap door in case raiders came back.
The Story cabin was on Otter Creek, an important route between Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains. Story became a spy and kept the Green Mountain Boys informed about traffic on the creek and troop movements in the woods. Story used a cave along the banks of Otter Creek to hide supplies and food. Her home became a location where the Green Mountain Boys could find shelter, leave messages, and keep supplies.
Rebecca Hougher, 78, from Fair Haven, came to see the unveiling of the historic marker. She traces her lineage back to the Green Mountain Boys
“It’s impossible once you know her to not appreciate her grit and perseverance. I recognize her as a patriot,” Hougher said.
After the war, Story stayed in Salisbury. Her children grew up and started their own farms, and Story died in 1817. Today, Story is remembered for her hard work, bravery, and integrity. She represents the many women who helped settle in Vermont and who helped it become the 14th state in the union.
“Although it’s military history, it’s also women’s history, and she was on the front lines with the Green Mountain Boys,” said Tom Hughes, a Middlebury resident who leads the Friends of Ann Story, which advocated for the roadside marker.
“I hope that this marker can inspire the people who live in Salisbury to notice the history around them,” Hughes said.
Jim Proctor, from Bomoseen, also helped put up the marker as a volunteer.
“To have Ann Story’s story told is important,” Proctor said. “If I can get kids to look up at me and spark something in them and be aware of the reality around them, that is what’s meaningful.”
Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship
The post New roadside marker celebrates Ann Story, ‘Mother of the Green Mountain Boys’ first appeared on Vermont Daily Chronicle.
The post New roadside marker celebrates Ann Story, ‘Mother of the Green Mountain Boys’ appeared first on Vermont Daily Chronicle.
