Colonial history lies in our backyard
Hubbardton Battlefield offers step back in time
Kenneth Tyler
Issue date: 3/10/06 Section: State
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Today, Hubbardton Battlefield is a state-owned historical site that operates as a link between the America we love and the country our ancestors were trying to become.
Recognition of the historic site dates back to 1859 when the citizens of Hubbardton and the surrounding towns created a marble monument honoring those who fought that day. Then, in 1937, the Vermont legislature created Hubbardton Battlefield Commission and began purchasing the land from local farmers for preservation.
Now, most of the original battle area is owned by the state and restored to its condition during the time of the fighting. A visitor's center was built in the 1950s and an updated facility was added in 1971. While the grounds are open for walking year-round, the building and museum are only open between May and October.
It is between the months of May and October that the site comes to life and visitors of the battlefield can step back in time and live a day in the 18th century. Each year, on the weekend closest to the date of the actual battle, hundreds of re-enactors convene on the site and create a colonial setting.
"It's a different feeling and atmosphere for that weekend," said Carl Fuller, site interpreter and caretaker. "Everything becomes the 18th century."
At 5 a.m. the first shots are fired, just as they were on July 7, 1777 when the American soldiers fired upon the British red coats advancing toward their position.
Today, visitors at any time can walk a half-mile that chronicles the events of the famous day with descriptive plaques marking their way. From the crest of the hilltop visitors can see down into the valley where the first musket balls ripped through the air.
As the trail progresses, it brings you to the peak of Monument Hill, where the red coats stormed the Americans in what appears to be an impossible climb. The steep vertical incline is a reminder of the different time they were fighting in.
The soldiers were fighting only a few hundred feet apart, loading black powder muskets and firing at the closest enemy. Then as a last resort, the fearless soldiers would battle each other with just a bayonet between them.