Reverend Joshua Young of Burlington, an abolitionist, angers his congregation by crossing Lake Champlain to preach at the funeral of John Brown in New York State.  Brown had started a revolt to free southern slaves, but had been caught and hanged by the United States government.

The first train arrives in Burlington via the new Rutland Railroad, connecting the city with Boston and the rest of the country.  Within the next forty years, the railroad helped make Burlington the third largest lumber port in North America.

 

Women are allowed to vote in Vermont school district elections.

 

Clarina Howard Nichols, Crusader for Women's Rights (PDF)

Bethel became the first town chartered by the independent state of Vermont.

Admiral George Dewey, the hero of Manila Bay, was born on State Street in Montpelier across from the Vermont State Capitol.  His victory over the Spanish fleet in 1898 made Admiral Dewey the most famous American of the day and he was welcomed home to Vermont with a huge celebration in October, 1899.

Vermont Welcomes Her Hero Home (PDF)

The temperature in Bloomfield, Vermont, dropped to fifty degrees below zero.  This still stands as the lowest official temperature ever recorded in the state.

 

Above the Surface: Small State, Big Weather (PDF)