Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-05-28
z Q II ? Q r z \ T. = 4 K T
O I
G. L n L. E 7 II a y A / |. L
RESTS BENEATH THIS STONE
The 18th day Of Feb. 1889
AGED so YEARS

RESTS BENEATH THIS STONE
The 18th day Of Feb. 1889
AGED so YEARS
His spirit tried the mercies of his God
In whom he believed and strongly trusted.
Is not this explicit? Is it to be supposed that
Mrs. Penniman, the widow of Ethan Allen, did not
know where his remains were laid? and were there
any motives for deception?
g. In a conversation between one of the Commit
tee and Mrs. Fobes an old and intelligent lady
and inhaLitant of this town, now dccoo ,ed, some
tn years ago, the subject Of Ethan Allen she
said she was well acquainted with him, was n
ncghbor to him when he died. attended his funeral,
and spoke of him as buried where his monument
then was, in Green Mount Cemetery.
1t is presumed that there living persons who
attended the funeral and state to the facts
of the burial, but the Committee do not know
them and do not deem it necessary to fortify what
has become settled history against the idle of
yesterday.
In the partial excavation of ten feet square,
which has been made for the foundation of the
present monument, (and which is all the cxamna-
ton which has been made for the remains Of the
deceascd,) it is true that nothing indicating the
burial of any person discovered. But when
it is considered that sixty nine years have elapsed
since he was inferred, and that, Independent
of other changes, the cemetery was entirely
remodeled fenced and embelished in 1885 by
Heman Allen, our once minister to Chilli and
nephew of Ethan Allen, and the Allen family
grcgated into convenient square, which was
enclosed by granite posts and chains, is it
wonderful strange that through a
removal for convenience or taste, the slab
tablet should not be found to indicate
tho eract site of the remains The committee
deem it point of very little importance, it
docs materially affect the question of his buri-
al place.
| As to the powers of the Committee, they
bodied in the act under which they were appointed,
and which, it will be perceived, constitutes them
agents for the State for the specific purposes of the
act-and strict compliance with which will alone
warrant them in drawing for the expenses accruing
under the act. Five hundred dollars have already
been paid to the contractor and the completion
of the monument, he will be entitled to draft for f-
teen hundred more, being the balance of the appro-
praton, Any question to the propriety of
| the payment of the draft would not be desirable
contingency for the Committee, and would be next
to ruinous to the contractor, whose means are
limited, and who will be loser at any rate.
The act speaks for itself--its title is: " An act
providiny for the erection Of a Monument the
Craze Of Ethan Allen" part Of the preamble
and the first section of the act are as follows:
| Whereas, the monument erected to his memory by
his fumily, has become delapidated, and the in
scrption thereon efaced therefore
is hereby enacted By the General Assembly Of
| the State Of Vermont, as foiioUs
SEC. /. The Governor is hereby directed to ap-
| point, as may be, committee consisting OF
two suitable persons whose duty it shall be to cause
to be erected a monument at the burial-place OF
| Ethan Allen, in the town Of Burlington, upon such
| u plan and with such inscriptions as shall be APP
proved by the Governor and cause the same to be
properly and securely protected against injury, at
an expense to the State not exceeding two thousand
dollars.
The inscription having been approved by the
Governor and engraved the tablet and recog-
nizing in terms the location of the monument as the
site of the grave of Allen, is suggestive of some Of
the obstacles in the way of change of location, il
not of the folly of attempting it in this manner
| ---s~'
doubt the intention of the Legislature to locate thu
monument where it is now in process of erection
or Justify the Committee in making change
which, by the by, would require the assent
the contractor.
| But if We aban don the grave " or "buria
place" of Ethan Allen, where are we-as agent
of the State not citizens of any particular towl
| where are we to locate the monument? Bur
lngton is not designated excepting in connection
with the grave or burial place; and independent o
this, the Committee might find many com petitor
within the meaning of the act-perhaps the spo
whence he embarked for Ticonderoga, or even OF,
Ticonderoga itself, for should not even be limi
ted to the State, Or if not wandering thus far, a
for aught we might we should accede to tn
request of the petitioners, and violate the plai
meaning Of the act for the purpose of embellishn
the Battery it would not be an improbable result
the Legislature should conclude, the petitioner
do, that great doubts exist to the buri'
place, and under the circumstances they may pei
haps think il best to remove the monument to tn
Capital at Montpelier.
The committee have felt bound to say thu
much in explanation of the course they consider
( their duty to pursue and are confident of bein
sustained on reflection by the judgment of INTEL
gent and candid men.
= They would merely add that a matter of tas
and proprety they consider the present location f
@ preferable to the ono proposed by the petition
a ers for the removal of the monument. Gree
!, Mount Cemetery is ono of the most beaut
l. ful and commanding spots in the State-with Il
Q Green Mountains ON tho east, the Adirondacs al
Q Lake on the west, the Valley and village of W
n nooski, with its railroads and broad ntervales /
t. cludiDg the farm and domicil of Allen, in fu
view-and hallowed as it is by the associations al
ID memories of the past 1T would seem to lack not
RS ing as to the appropriate location Of monume
1t or tomb stone to the hero, whose renal
is lie within its precinct, The objection rails
ly as to the exclusion of sight Of the monument
IS. the shade trees is which if it exists at ALL wi
re be easily obviated by the tasteful hand viii
shall lay out the walks and make the embellis
an ment OF town cemetery at this beautiful pat
p The imposing character of tte proposed mon
he mont is overrated, II is a Tuscan column abe
w. forty feet in height, and placed on the bate
Moull WI lIsaulnIuI Lla rZue-L aIun. LulIn.l II il