Ethan Allen, one of America's legendary heroes, moved to Bennington in 1769 at the age of 21 and settled in a house on the northwest corner of what is now the Bennington Center Cemetery. On occasion he visited the Old First Church, but disagreements with the minister, Jedediah Dewey, often limited his attendance.

Allen quickly became a participant in the struggle to establish New Hampshire land grants over those from New York. Gathering at the Catamount Tavern, he organized the Green Mountain Boys, a vigilante group of young bucks looking to drive New Yorkers out of the region.

At the outbreak of the American Revolution, Allen and his Green Mountain Boys made headlines when they captured Fort Ticonderoga early in the morning of May 10, 1775. This happened less than a month after the action in Lexington and Concord and well before the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Allen and his band of men crossed the lake at Shoreham and surprised the British garrison, who had yet to even hear about Lexington and Concord, without even firing a shot. Allen's words, whether actually spoken or not, went down in history. "In the name of the great Jehova and the Continental Congress, I demand the surrender of this garrison."

About 50 of the 100 hundred cannon captured at Ticonderoga were later transported by General Knox over land to General George Washington in Boston causing the British army and navy to flee Boston.

Though he was held captive by the British for much of the Revolution, Allen played an integral role in the establishment of the Vermont Republic and later statehood.