Court Square
Inscription
From 1796 to 1814 Court Square was the site of the first Addison County Courthouse, which also served as the seat of the Vermont Legislature (1800, 1806), and home of Middlebury’s first female academy (1800). Here in June 1804 a New York slaveholder brought suit before a session of the Supreme Court to reclaim an escaped slave apprehended in Vermont.
When his proffered bill of sale was deemed insufficient proof of ownership, his attorney demanded what the court would accept. Justice Theophilus Harrington of Clarendon responded with some of the most famous words from a Vermont courtroom, “Nothing short of a bill of sale signed by God Almighty Himself.
” The former slave went free.
Location
Sources
More markers in Addison
Chimney Point
Addison, VT
This strategic point on Lake Champlain was occupied by Native Americans for thousands of years.
The Ruth Stone House / Green Apples
Goshen, VT
Ruth Stone (1915-2011) purchased this property in 1956, and for the next 55 years it provided inspiration for her writing and a haven for...
The U.S. Government Morgan Horse Farm
Weybridge, VT
The U.S. Government established a Morgan horse breeding program in 1905 at the University of Vermont to study and refine the Morgan horse...
Mt. Independence Military Road -- Route to Hubbardton, 1777
Orwell, VT
This vital American military road to the south of here was built on the September 7, 1776, orders of Gen. Horatio Gates to connect Mount...
Rokeby' -- Home of Rowland E. Robinson -- Writer of Vermont Folklore
Ferrisburgh, VT
Here in 1833, Rowland E. Robinson was born of Quaker parentage.