On this day 250 years ago, at Boonesborough, in what is now Kentucky, Richard Henderson and the other settlers in his party formally established the Transylvania Colony and designated Boonesborough as its capital. Although the Transylvania Colony would establish a government and be self-governing for the next couple of years during the Revolution, it was never recognized by the Continental Congress or any of the other colonies.

https://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/items/show/585

On this day 250 years ago at Castleton, Vermont, Col. Ethan Allen met with the officers of the Green Mountain Boys and the Connecticut and Massachusetts militia to plan the assault on Fort Ticonderoga. They agreed that Allen would be the commander, Colonel James Easton of Massachusetts second-in-command, Captain Seth Warner of Vermont third-in-command, and Captain Edward Mott of Connecticut was named “Chairman of the Committee of War.” The Committee and Allen then issued orders for the attack.

Allen would lead the main body of 100 Green Mountain Boys in a march to the town of Shoreham, Vermont across Lake Champlain from Ticonderoga. However, Allen first needed to gather boats to cross the lake and more men to guarantee that he could take the fort. 23-year-old Samuel Pierce volunteered to ride 64 miles from Castleton through Rutland, Pittsford, Brandon, Leicester, Salisbury, Middlebury, Cornwall, and Whiting and arrive in Shoreham 24 hours later with 80 recruits. Lieutenant Samuel Herrick was ordered to lead 30 men to Skenesborough (now White Hall), New York to seize Loyalist Major Andrew Skene and boats that would be needed to cross Lake Champlain. Captain Asa Douglass was ordered to Crown Point, Bridport and Panton to find additional boats for the crossing. To complicate matters, Colonel Benedict Arnold arrived at Castleton that afternoon, accompanied only by a single aide, to claim command of the assault, but Allen had already begun his march to Shoreham and only the rearguard commanded by Captain Mott remained in Castleton. Everyone was ordered to converge at Hands Cove on the banks of Lake Champlain in Shoreham by the end of the next day.

Sources: Tonsetic at 28-31; https://www.rutlandherald.com/features/weekend_magazine/remember-when-major-beach-vermont-s-paul-revere/article_789849ad-dc0a-4313-8cf3-b996a932aadd.html

Tomorrow and Saturday, May 9 and 10, 2025, the people of Castleton will commemorate the 250th anniversary of Ethan Allen’s march to Ticonderoga and Samuel Beach’s ride through the Vermont woods. https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2025/04/ethan-allen-castleton-250th/

At the same time, May 9-11, 2025, Fort Ticonderoga will host its own commemoration of the capture of the Fort by the Green Mountain Boys led by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold. https://fortticonderoga.org/ft_events/real-time-revolution-3-day-battle-reenactment-no-quarter/ Luckily, Castleton and Fort Ticonderoga are only minutes apart by car, so modern-day visitors will be able to attend both commemorations.