Shays’ Settlement in Vermont: A Story of Revolt and Archaeology

Stephen D. Butz

Arcadia Publishing, 2017 - History - 171 pages

The ruins of Daniel Shays's fortified settlement reveal the hidden story of the famous rebellion.

The ruins of Daniel Shays's fortified settlement reveal the hidden story of the famous rebellion. Shays and the Regulators founded the settlement deep in the Vermont wilderness after fleeing the uprising they led in 1787 in Massachusetts. Rediscovered in 1997 and under study since 2013, these remnants divulge secrets of Shays's life that previously remained unknown, including his connection to Millard Filmore and the Anti-Federalist lawyer John Bay. As the leader of the site's first formal study, Stephen D. Butz weaves together the tale of the archaeological investigation, along with Shays's heroic life in the Continental army, his role in the infamous rebellion that bears his name and his influence on American law.

Contents

• Acknowledgements: 7
• Foreword: 9
• Daniel Shays Colonial Soldier: 13
• The Shays Settlement Project Begins: 22
• The André Affair: 30
• The Archaeology of Shays Settlement Part 1: 39
• A Postwar Crisis Brews: 55
• The Archaeology of Shays Settlement Part 2: 68
• Daniel Shays Leads a Rebellion: 75
• The Archaeology of Shays Settlement Part 3: 103
• Escape into Vermont: 107
• The Archaeology of Shays Settlement Part 4: 123
• Shays Seeks Pardon: 134
• The Archaeology of Shays Settlement Part 5: 149
• The Death of the Settlement and the Birth of an American Law: 151
• Archaeological and Historical Conclusions: 157
• References: 165
• Index: 169
• About the Author: 173

About the author

Stephen Butz is an educator, writer, archaeologist and environmental scientist who has taught at the secondary and college level for over twenty years. Steve gained his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Cornell University and has published numerous books on the subjects of science, history and technology. Steve is a co-director of the Shays' Settlement Research Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting historic research, scientific inquiry and educational outreach. He lives along the Vermont-New York border, where he continues to teach, run the Shays' Settlement archaeology field school and work on his various research projects.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Shays’ Settlement in Vermont: A Story of Revolt and Archaeology
• Author: Stephen D. Butz
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing, 2017
• ISBN: 1625859503, 9781625859501
• Length: 171 pages
• Subjects: History / Military / United States; History / United States / Revolutionary Period (1775-1800); History / United States / State & Local / New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT); Photography / Subjects & Themes / Lifestyles; Social Science / Archaeology; Travel / United States / Northeast / New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)