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Originally chartered by the governor of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth between 1750-1754, the charter was renewed in 1760-1761 when the grantees were unable to establish a settlement within five years of the initial charter. The town gets is name after Colonel William Brattle who was the first named grantee in the charter. Originally, the town consisted of three villages, West Brattleboro, East Brattleboro (sometimes called the East Vilage) and Centreville. As modern transportation made the distances ³smaller² between the villages, and as East Brattleboro grew, Centreville disappeared from maps, and East Brattleboro became simply Brattleboro. West Brattleboro remains its own entity, though it lost its post office in 1900, becoming a station at the main post office in Brattleboro. The first settlement occurred in the southeastern part of Brattleboro at Dummer Meadows along the Connecticut River. In 1724 Fort Dummer was built to protect settlements in the valleys to the south from Indian attacks. The Fort was demolished in 1763 and is now actually underwater as a result of the construction of the Vernon Dam. Many of the early settlers to the area were opposed to the idea of being a part of Vermont, some favored independence, others sought to be joined with either New York or New Hampshire. In particular, a Mr. Charles Phelps was violently opposed to the idea of the land once claimed by New York as Cumberland County being controlled by Vermont. While a minority party, Phelps was commisioned by the state of New York to set up a de facto civil government. Acting quickly in response, the Vermont General Assembly voted on an act ³for the punishment of conspiracies against the peace, liberty, and independence² of the infant state. A militia force led by Ethan Allen was swiftly sent out and effectively quelled the rebellion. The issue went to the Continental Congress still in the midst of hostilities with the English (the Revolutionary War), who equivocated by ordering New York to cease claiming jurisdiction, while demanding that Vermont make restitution to the rebels. The issue remained until Vermont Statehood was acheived in 1791. Home of Rudyard Kipling who wrote the first and second Jungle Books while living in Brattleboro, Playwright Royall Tyler whose The Contrast in 1787, and May Day in Town. In 1797 he anonymously published The Algerian Captive which had the distinction of being the first American work of fiction to be published in England. For more information on visiting Brattleboro, visit http://www.brattleboro.com 
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