Posted on July 12, 2016
RUTLAND — On Tuesday, July 5, Rebecca Allen Hougher, president of the Descendants of the Green Mountain Boys, presented Greg Cox, president of the Vermont Farmers Food Center, with a plaque honoring the VFFC for their revitalization and advancement of our Vermont heritage as workers of the earth and promoters of healthy farm to market commerce. She was accompanied by Dani Roberts, vice president and recording secretary.
Farming lies at the very heart of the ability for early settlers to settle, survive and eventually prosper in Vermont. The Green Mountain Boys were primarily farmers and they, among others, allowed the state to become an independent Republic from 1777 to 1791, after which Vermont became the 14th state in America.
Vermont would have become a state sooner had it not been for the controversy over the ownership of Vermont, previously declared through conflicting land grants given by the British simultaneously to New Hampshire and New York.
It was the support of our neighbors in New Hampshire and the efforts of the Green Mountain Boys, formed in the late 1760s, that helped Vermont eventually win its independence, fending off the claims of the New Yorkers.
Prior to the independence of the United States, the Green Mountain Boys also engaged in many battles that ultimately advanced the ability of the U.S. to achieve its victory on a larger scale.
The Descendants of the Green Mountain Boys exist to preserve the heritage they share, and to recognize others who live the life, do the work, share the values and contribute to the sustainability of honest, healthy commerce.
“Farmers were the hope and foundation of this precious state of Vermont, proclaiming itself an Independent Republic from 1777 to 1791,” said Rebecca Allen Hougher. “[Farmers] carry that legacy and are the hope and inspiration for our future. We must become self-reliant and self-sufficient to increase the economic and general health of our children and future generations. You are doing that with educational programs, mentorship, year round food preparedness and distribution. History does repeat, and Vermont is fortunate to have such a visionary group of independent and resourceful farmers.”
The plaque and a Green Mountain Boys flag will be displayed in Farmers Hall at the VFFC complex located at 251 West Street in Rutland, Vt.