His brother-in-law, Jeremiah OвЂ™Brien, urged an attack on the Margaretta. What to do? The militia men of Machias debated their course of action in Burnham Tavern, built in 1770 by Job Burnham. The British delivered an ultimatum: The townspeople of Machias needed to ship their lumber to Boston to build barracks for British soldiers if they wanted critical supplies. In June of 1775 the Margaretta, an armed British schooner, sat in Machias Bay, its guns trained on the frontier town of Machias, Maine. The Old Constitution House has been restored as a tavern museum and includes historic items donated by descendants of the delegates and the Daughters of the American Revolution.ДЇor more information about the Old Constitution House, click here. In 1961, the state took ownership of the tavern. Thirteen years later the house and land were donated to the Old Constitution House Association and money raised to restore it. In 1901 local preservationists began trying to save the building. It later served as a store, a home and a warehouse. The building functioned as a tavern until 1848. The Vermont Constitution, in effect for 14 years, was the first to prohibit slavery, establish universal voting rights for all men and to authorize a public school system. A violent thunderstorm kept the delegates at the tavern. On July 8, the convention at WestвЂ™s tavern got word of the British advance and considered adjourning. The meeting went on for several days while the British recaptured Fort Ticonderoga. Then on July 2, 1777, a constitutional convention met at Elijah WestвЂ™s tavern and drafted a constitution. That month, Vermont representatives met in Westminster and declared independence from the colonies that claimed to its land - Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and New York. Built around 1750, Elijah West ran it as a tavern in January 1777. The Vermont Republic came into existence at the Old Constitution House in Windsor, Vt.

Store house tavern