Vermont
‘A difficult Founding Father to love’: New biography explores ‘nuanced’ life of Ira Allen
Practically every Vermonter knows of Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen.
Far fewer are likely familiar with Ethan’s youngest brother and one of Vermont’s founders, Ira Allen – the cunning and widely unpopular land speculator, politician, negotiator and pamphleteer.
Earlier this month, local historian Kevin Graffagnino, 69, published what he says is the first book in nearly 100 years, and the second one ever, to focus primarily on the life of the underappreciated revolutionary.
“If you want to write about early Vermont, you’ve got to put him in the picture,” Graffagnino said, adding that without understanding fully who Ira was and what he contributed to the brave little state, “you’ve got a very incomplete tapestry.”
Ira Allen: ‘Nuanced, not always good’
Graffagnino originally wrote “Ira Allen: A Biography” 31 years ago as his doctoral dissertation at the University of Massachusetts while working in University of Vermont Special Collections, where he gathered the majority of his research.
Graffagnino’s new biography fills a literary and academic gap on Ira, who is mostly reduced to a minor character in books about Vermont’s early history.
Ira’s only other biography, written in the 1920s, is verbose and “almost unreadable,” Graffagnino said, and worst of all, an overly flattering portrayal of the morally gray man. In contrast, “Ira Allen: A Biography” offers a more succinct, objective account of Ira’s life.
“He’s nuanced, he’s not always good,” Graffagnino said. “He can usually find a way to advance the public with his own ambition, but if it comes down to a real pinch where you can only get one of them, then Ira will seldom do the heroic thing. If one of the horses is going to drop dead, it’s going to be the one for the public.”
Why has it taken so long for a proper Ira Allen biography?
It’s quite simple: Ira is a “difficult Founding Father to love,” Graffagnino asserts in his book about his subject who was once the richest man in the Champlain Valley.
For one thing, Ira does not fit the American ideal of a Revolutionary War hero like his brawny and bold brother Ethan. In contrast, Ira acquired the nickname “Stub” for his short stature and “couldn’t beat anyone up,” Graffagnino said, instead having to resort to less romantic means to accomplish his goals.
“He has to persuade, he has to make backroom deals, he has to outsmart you,” Graffagnino said.
Ira’s crafty ways – he wasn’t above tricking someone into giving away their valuable land – also didn’t “evoke a lot of affection” while he was alive.
“He’s a practical guy,” Graffagnino said of Ira. “His loyalties and affiliations are determined often, not always 100%, by what’s good for him financially.”
If Ethan was Vermont’s Davy Crocket, Ira was the state’s Aaron Burr, a important American figure who was “driven, brilliant at times” and “distrusted” by most of his peers, Graffagnino said in his book.
“I don’t particularly like him,” said Graffagnino. “But I respect him and he’s important” to understanding 18th-century America.
Is Ira Allen buried in Vermont?
Ira Allen died penniless, irrelevant and alone in 1812 at age 64 in Philadelphia where he fled 10 years prior to avoid paying his debts. Unlike Ethan and many other revolutionary giants who secured extravagant gravesites and burials, Ira’s body was buried in a pauper’s grave at the Free Quaker Burial Ground in Philadelphia.
A few years later, he and the cemetery’s other occupants were dug up and deposited under a tree in Audubon, Pennsylvania. A marker designating the spot as Ira’s final resting place was erected in the 1990s, a project Graffagnino helped complete. Twenty years ago, Vermont lawmakers determined it would be too costly to identify and retrieve his bones from the pile.
However, Ira does have a cenotaph located in Burlington’s Greenmount Cemetery right next to the Ethan Allen Monument.
Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@gannett.com.
Score: UAlbany 4, Vermont 14
Location: Virtue Field | Burlington, Vt.
Records: UAlbany (10-5, 5-1 America East) | Vermont (8-6, 4-1 America East)
Short Story: UAlbany women’s lacrosse fell to the Vermont Catamounts on Saturday afternoon.
Key Stats
- Grace Cincebox recorded a total of 14 saves with 13 goals allowed for a .565 save percentage.
- Ravan Marsell led the Great Danes with two points on one goal and one assist.
- Four different UAlbany players scored in the contest.
- Reggie Williams was the team’s leader with three ground balls.
- Delilah Mile caused a team high three turnovers.
How It Happened
- The Catamounts came out of the gates hard and heavy, scoring all three goals between both sides in the first quarter.
- Vermont would take an 8-0 lead in the second quarter before Amanda Williamson found the back of the net on a women-down goal to put the Great Danes on the board and make it 8-1.
- The Great Danes would allow one more goal in the first half to trail 9-1 after 30-minutes of play.
- Grace Cincebox would enter the half with 10 saves.
- Riley Forthofer started the Great Danes off in the second half to make it a 9-2 game, before Vermont put up three more goals to take a 12-2 lead entering the final quarter of play.
- Mya Carroll and Ravan Marsell both scored on back-to-back free-position goals to make it a 12-4 game.
- The Catamounts finished the game with two more goals to take the win 14-4.
Up Next
The Great Danes will next have a bye week and wait to see the outcome of next week’s Vermont vs UMass Lowell game to see who will host the America East Tournament.
Social Central: Stay up to date with UAlbany women’s lacrosse by following the team on Instagram (@UAlbanyWLax), Facebook (UAlbany Women’s Lacrosse), and X (@UAlbanyWLax) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the year.
Is creativity the missing key to better health?
Research suggests creative activities like art, music and crafts may benefit mental health as much as other key health habits.
Here’s another reason Vermont is the best New England state: It’s home to one of the top 5 happiest cities in the United States.
Plus, it has another within the top 15.
Massachusetts, on the other hand, doesn’t even break the top 50. Nor, does Connecticut or Rhode Island.
The personal finance website analyzed 182 of the largest cities in the country, and ranked Boston 63rd overall. Although the city is home to some of the nation’s top universities, high-ranking hospitals, and well-regarded companies, it didn’t break the top 50.
To get the rankings, WalletHub compared the cities using 29 metrics, including life-satisfaction index, depression rate, poverty rate, job security, and acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, and cities were assigned an overall happiness score.
Here’s a look at how the cities ranked.
South Burlington is No. 4 happiest city, Burlington is No. 11
South Burlington came on top for Vermont in WalletHub’s list of the happiest cities in the United States, ranking at No. 4. In scored very high for emotional and physical well-being coming in at the No. 4 spot, which made up for coming in No. 48 for community and environment. It was No. 9 for income and employment ranking. That gave it a total happiness of score of 70.15
Burlington wasn’t far behind at all, taking the No. 11 spot on the list and a happiness score of 67.54. It’s highest score was for income and employment ranking where it came second. It ranked No. 13 for community and environment and No. 21 for emotional and physical well-being.
Happiest cities in the US, per WalletHub
Here are the 25 happiest cities in the U.S., and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- Fremont, California – 74.09
- Bismarck, North Dakota – 73.11
- Scottsdale, Arizona – 71.36
- South Burlington, Vermont – 70.15
- Fargo, North Dakota – 69.36
- Overland Park, Kansas – 68.45
- Charleston, South Carolina – 68.44
- Irvine, California – 67.99
- Gilbert, Arizona – 67.96
- San Jose, California – 67.79
- Burlington, Vermont – 67.54
- Madison, Wisconsin – 66.35
- Columbia, Maryland – 66.28
- Chandler, Arizona – 65.69
- Seattle, Washington – 65.62
- Plano, Texas – 65.34
- San Francisco, California – 64.99
- Lincoln, Nebraska – 64.90
- Portland, Maine – 64.59
- Tempe, Arizona – 64.30
- San Diego, California – 64.30
- Raleigh, North Carolina – 63.47
- Peoria, Arizona – 63.38
- Durham, North Carolina – 62.84
- Huntington Beach, California – 62.80
Least happy cities in the US, per WalletHub
Here are the 25 least happy cities in the U.S., and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- Detroit, Michigan (#182 overall) – 29.55
- Memphis, Tennessee (#181 overall) – 34.39
- Shreveport, Louisiana (#180 overall) – 34.93
- Cleveland, Ohio (#179 overall) – 36.50
- Huntington, West Virginia (#178 overall) – 37.20
- Toledo, Ohio (#177 overall) – 37.21
- Augusta, Georgia (#176 overall) – 38.24
- Fort Smith, Arkansas (#175 overall) – 38.66
- Dover, Delaware (#174 overall) – 39.08
- Akron, Ohio (#173 overall) – 40.11
- Baltimore, Maryland (#172 overall) – 40.28
- Birmingham, Alabama (#171 overall) – 40.37
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana (#170 overall) – 40.47
- Columbus, Georgia (#169 overall) – 40.61
- Montgomery, Alabama (#168 overall) – 41.35
- Gulfport, Mississippi (#167 overall) – 41.65
- Charleston, West Virginia (#166 overall) – 42.18
- Jackson, Mississippi (#165 overall) – 42.60
- St. Louis, Missouri (#164 overall) – 43.53
- Knoxville, Tennessee (#163 overall) – 44.04
- Wilmington, Delaware (#162 overall) – 44.34
- Little Rock, Arkansas (#161 overall) – 44.48
- Mobile, Alabama (#160 overall) – 44.85
- New Orleans, Louisiana (#159 overall) – 45.19
- Tulsa, Oklahoma (#158 overall) – 45.33
Where New England cities ranked
Here are the 12 happiest cities in New England, and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- South Burlington, Vermont (#6 overall) – 70.15
- Burlington, Vermont (#11 overall) – 67.54
- Portland, Maine (#19 overall) – 64.59
- Nashua, New Hampshire (#27 overall) – 62.49
- Manchester, New Hampshire (#51 overall) – 59.10
- Boston, Massachusetts (#63 overall) – 56.88
- Warwick, Rhode Island (#66 overall) – 56.59
- New Haven, Connecticut (#95 overall) – 54.14
- Bridgeport, Connecticut (#96 overall) – 54.01
- Providence, Rhode Island (#98 overall) – 53.52
- Worcester, Massachusetts (#116 overall) – 50.12
- Lewiston, Maine (#145 overall) – 47.28
A tornado touched down in Vermont Thursday, when a strong storm system moved through the area, the National Weather Service said.
Winds are believed to have hit 90 mph when the tornado churned through Williamstown at about 9:15 p.m., the agency said Friday. That makes it an EF1 tornado on the Fujita Scale, which goes from 0 at the weakest to 5 at the strongest.
Lasting three minutes, the twister traveled for more than four-tenths of a mile, with a maximum width of 100 yards, according to the National Weather Service’s preliminary assessment. It damaged a pair of buildings and numerous trees, shearing tree tops. Golf ball-sized hail was also reported in the area.
Severe thunderstorms popped up across the North Country Thursday night, including in central Vermont — Williamstown is south of Montpelier.
The town thanked its road crew, firefighters and locals who spent hours in the wake of the storm cleaning up.
“We appreciate all that you do to keep the town functioning though an emergency situation,” the town said.
People in the area told NBC affiliate WPTZ that the storm was shockingly powerful, and National Weather Service staffer Marlon Verasamy said that while tornadoes in Vermont are rare, they’re even rarer in this part of the state.
“Generally, when we do see tornadoes around the area that they’ve been in Addison County and not here, so it make it really, really unique to get a tornado in this kind of terrain in this part of the state,” Verasamy said.
-
Pittsburg, PA17 seconds agoMcCorkle: Pittsburgh Steelers 2026 Mock Draft (Final Version)
-
Augusta, GA6 minutes agoAugusta nonprofit hosts family financial literacy day
-
Washington, D.C12 minutes agoStorm Team4 Forecast: A chilly, gusty Sunday before a cool start to the week
-
Cleveland, OH18 minutes agoWinners and Losers From Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Playoffs Game 1
-
Austin, TX24 minutes agoStorms dump small hail throughout Austin area Saturday
-
Alabama30 minutes agoYMCA of South Alabama holds Healthy Kids Day in Spanish Fort
-
Alaska36 minutes ago
Bear injures two US soldiers during military training in Alaska | The Jerusalem Post
-
Arizona42 minutes agoNFL mock draft: 4-round projections for Arizona Cardinals
