Shoreham Historical Society

10/02/2026

In a special event brought to you by the town of Panton with the support of Fort Ticonderoga and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, a 250th Anniversary reenactment will be held at Arnold’s Bay. This event will commemorate, 250 years later, the October 13th 1776 landing and destruction of Benedict Arnold’s fleet, after the Battle of Valcour Island. Reenactors will recreate the landing and scuttling with 18th century style wooden boats, giving a glimpse at naval warfare on Lake Champlain during the Revolutionary War. Taking place on Monday, October 12th, 2026, from 1:00-3:00 PM at Arnold’s Bay at 1311 Adams Ferry Road in Panton. Free to attend, everyone is welcome to learn some of our local history!

10/01/2026

09/16/2026

09/10/2026

Next meeting is on October 7 at the Stone Schoolhouse on 22A, Shoreham VT. Brief business meeting starts at 6:30, after which Susan Peden will moderate an evening of stories from local citizens whose ancestors were active in our nation's Revolutionary War. We hope everyone that wants to will have time to give a brief summary about their ancestor(s). If the ancestor lived in Shoreham before, during, or after the war it would be nice to have a one-page summary to include in our collection. Refreshments will be served the discussion.

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09/04/2026

These articles were shared this morning by Cynthia Menard Brush here on Fb. Anyone attending last night’s meeting should be interested!

09/03/2026

“The majority of people throughout history have been common people whose stories have not been highlighted,” said Angie Grove, executive director of the Ethan Allen Homestead.

08/31/2026

250 years (and one week) ago, on August 24, 1776, Benedict Arnold took a fleet of ten vessels on a scouting mission further north along Lake Champlain. After having spent only a few weeks constructing a fleet, Patriot craftsmen had managed to build six gondolas, which sailed alongside the three schooners and a sloop-of-war that were already a part of Arnold’s fleet.

This scouting action set off local controversy, as accusations arose that some of Arnold’s sailors had gone ashore and raided Willsborough, NY. A local landowner named William Gilliland claimed they stole potatoes, peas, tools, and even chairs. Benedict Arnold denied Gilliland’s accusations, stating the man was “a most plausible and artful villain.” While we can’t know for sure who was telling the truth, stories of soldiers raiding and stealing from local farms were unfortunately commonplace during the chaos of the Revolutionary War.

If you would like to learn more about the lesser-known stories of the American Revolution, make sure you visit our new exhibit, Fragments: Voices of the American Revolution on Lake Champlain, any day from 10 am–4 pm.

Image: “A View of a Saw Mill and Block House Upon Fort Anne Creek, the property of Genl. Skeene...,” W. Lane, 1789. Engraving. New York Public Library.

08/28/2026

250 years ago, at the end of August 1776, Americans were working around the clock to build a fleet to oppose the coming British invasion of Lake Champlain. 🇺🇸 🇬🇧

Knowing that an English fleet was coming down from Canada to invade Lake Champlain, about two-hundred shipwrights gathered in Skenesborough, NY (modern-day Whitehall, NY) to build a fleet capable of defending America. They felled trees, mined ore, forged iron fittings for the vessels, and hauled naval supplies from the coast of New England all the way to Skenesborough. Some of these hard-working laborers were enslaved, denied the freedom the rest of America was fighting for. Still they worked day and night to build a fleet that could oppose the British.

Throughout the summer and autumn of 1776, craftsmen, soldiers and enslaved peoples worked to build galleys and gondolas, boats they hoped would protect America’s newfound independence. They wouldn’t know if their efforts would be met with success until the British finally launched their invasion in October.

Follow along this month here on social media as we travel back in time, following the daily course of events on Lake Champlain during the American Revolution. And join us at the Museum on Saturday, October 11 from 10 am–4 pm for a special commemorative day to mark the climactic Battle of Valcour Bay. Details at https://www.lcmm.org/event/battle-of-valcour-bay/

Image: “Battle of Valcour Island,” Ernest Haas, 1999. Acrylic on Panel. Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Collection

08/25/2026

Our next meeting will by September 2. The meeting starts at 6:30 with a brief business meeting. Following that Jonathan Hescock will talk about Newton Academy and its role in school centralization. Chartered in 1811, the Newton Academy in Shoreham was one of the state's first private boarding schools, named for local Revolutionary War patriot Daniel C. Newton. It eventually became a public high school before closing in 1969.
Location: Stone School House on Route 22A in Shoreham.

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