Courtesy of Pawlett Historical Society
Vince Feeney will present the Pawlett Historical Society’s August program, “Mad Matt the Democrat.”
Thursday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. — PAWLET — The Pawlett Historical Society’s August program, “Mad Matt the Democrat” will be presented by Vince Feeney on Thursday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Pawlet Town Hall, 122 School Street, Pawlet. Admission is free; refreshments will be served.
Feeney will discuss Mathew Lyon, who was an indentured servant, a Green Mountain Boy, and the son-in-law to Thomas Chittenden, the first governor of Vermont. Lyon was also a land-speculator and entrepreneur, as well as the founder of Fair Haven, Vt. He is perhaps best remembered for his imprisonment under the Alien and Sedition Acts, and his subsequent re-election to Congress while in jail. His life not only exemplified the promise of possibility in the then-new United States, but also reflected the political tensions of the time.
Feeney has a PhD in history, and was an adjunct professor of history at UVM from 1978 to 2003. He authored a book on Irish immigration into Vermont, a book on the history of Winooski, Vt., and has one due out soon.
