August 3rd, 2014 a dedication for the Black Snake Affair Historic Marker will be held at the Ethan
Allen Homestead.
Smugglers and Shootouts ~ August 3rd, 2014 2:00 p.m.
At The Ethan Allen Homestead Museum and Historic Site
In 1807, in response to attempts by both the British and French to sabotage American neutrality in the
Napoleonic Wars, President Thomas Jefferson signed the Embargo Act. This Act was aimed to prevent
both the seizing of American merchant cargo as war contraband and the forced conscription of
American sailors. It was incredibly unpopular in Vermont, whose chief trade partner was British
Canada, and some Vermonters smuggled cargo North. One ship, the Black Snake, was caught
smuggling potash by customs officials on the Winooski River, and the resulting shootout killed two of
the officers and Jonathan Ormsby, a farmer living at the Ethan Allen Homestead. The Black Snake
Affair, as it came to be called, was a highly partisan political issue at the time and was representative
of the internal and external challenges faced by our fledgling nation on the eve of the War of 1812.
On 2:00 p.m. On August 3rd at the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum Author Gary Shattuck will
present on his new book about the incident, and then the attendees will be invited to follow us to the
approximate site of the event where a state Historical Marker commemorating the incident will be
dedicated. The United States Customs and Border Patrol will hold an official ceremony honoring their
fallen officers at the site of the historic marker.
Free admission
For more information, please call 865-4556 or e-mail info@ethanallenhomestead.org

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