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The People’s House: A History of the Vermont Statehouse
The People’s House: A History of the Vermont Statehouse
Part I in a Series
For almost three decades, from the birth of Vermont in 1777, to the construction of the Statehouse, Vermont government was homeless. There was neither a building nor a geographic location. The records show that during this period, the Vermont legislature met 47 times. The sessions were held in Windsor 14 times, Bennington eight, Rutland seven, Westminster four, Manchester three, Middlebury and Newbury twice each, and one time each in Burlington, Castleton, Danville, Norwich, Vergennes and Charleston, New Hampshire (then a part of Vermont). It should also be noted that one of our lieutenant governors came from Lebanon, New Hampshire, because in a period around 1780, Vermont annexed 35 New Hampshire towns.
Because the Green Mountains divided Vermont east and west, 23 of the legislative sessions were held on the east side, and 24 sessions were held on the west side. This is perhaps the first version of Vermont’s “mountain rule.” This informal arrangement would later include east and west side congressmen and east and west side governors.
In November of 1791, the legislature passed a law declaring, “Great inconvenience and expense have arisen to this date by reason of having no fixed place for holding the sessions of the legislature, and that no place near the center is sufficiently settled to accommodate the same.” This new law designated Rutland for the session of 1792 and then Windsor and Rutland would alternate for the next eight years.
The legislature repealed the act of 1791 five years later, in 1796. Until Montpelier was selected as the capital, the legislature met in Rutland in February 1797, and October 1801; at Windsor in October of 1797 and 1799 and January of 1801; at Vergennes in 1798, Middlebury in 1800 and 1806, Newbury in 1801, Burlington in 1802, Westminster in 1803, Danville in 1805 and Woodstock in 1807.
In October 1803, James Fisk of Barre introduced a resolution calling for the establishment of a permanent seat for the legislature. After a series of committee meetings over a period of two years, a recommendation was made and unanimously agreed upon that Montpelier would be the most convenient place for a state capitol. Subsequently in November of 1805, the legislature passed a law establishing the permanent seat of the legislature at Montpelier. The proponents of the bill were Elijah Paine of Williamstown (for whom the Berlin Turnpike was named and whose son settled in Northfield and became governor of the state). Another sponsor of the bill was Ezra Butler of Waterbury, who also became governor of Vermont (1826-1828). The bill said that if the town of Montpelier, or other individuals, built on a place designated by the committee, those buildings shall become the permanent seat of the legislature for holding all their sessions.
At a Montpelier Town Meeting on the 25th of December, 1805, Thomas Davis and others were chosen to receive subscriptions and donations to build and superintend a state house. The subscriptions received and expended by the committee amounted to a little over $6,000, most of which was paid off in produce, meat, stock, materials and labor. Montpelier’s population in 1805 was about 1,200. In 1791, its population was 113, and in 1800 it was 890. The major reason for Montpelier’s selection was that it was neutral ground among Vermont’s major towns who fought to capture the rewards of being the state capital. Montpelier was not only the geographic center of the state, but its citizens put up $8,000 of the $10,000 required to build the Statehouse.
Next week: The first Statehouse.
Senator Bill Doyle serves on the Senate Education Committee and Senate Economic Affairs Committee, and is the Senate Minority Leader. He teaches government history at Johnson State College. He can be reached at 186 Murray Road, Montpelier, VT 05602; e-mail wdoyle@leg.state.vt.us; or call 223-2851.
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