Distinctively MV

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Petticoats, Privateers, and Patriots: A Revolutionary War Walking Tour of Historic Holmes Hole Harbor

Though many Vineyard historians have casually referred to the Island as “neutral” during the American Revolution, deeper scholarship reveals just how misleading that label is. Step back to the year 1781 as Mrs. Sarah (Chase Daggett) Allen, tavern-keep and patriot, guides you along the harbor roads and alleys she’s known from birth as being a hotbed of dissent, diversity, and - ultimately - a center of revolutionary activity on Martha's Vineyard. See the sights (and sites) of 18th-century Holmes Hole and hear the stories of sailors, smallpox, slavery, and suffering (also sheep), and discover how the women and men of Martha’s Vineyard contributed to the War for Independence - setting the stage for the Island’s participation in the War of 1812.

This walking tour of downtown Vineyard Haven is approximately 90 minutes long and covers roughly 1.5 miles of unevenly paved terrain; mobility-impaired participants will find it a challenge due to hills, narrow sidewalks, and uneven, grassy ground in the cemetery. Suitable for ages 12 and up. Maximum group size of 10. These tickets will be sold in pairs at the "Buy Now" price of $50.  The tour will be held on a Saturday this summer to be determined.  Ticket-holders will be contacted by Norah.

Your Guide: Mrs. Sarah Allen (1717-1803) was born and raised in her mother’s tavern, the Beehive, the daughter and granddaughter of one of the richest 18th-century colonial families down-Island. She married very young and started her own tavern on today’s Hatch Road in Vineyard Haven. Mrs. Allen's daughter, niece, and great-niece gained notoriety for their dead-of-night act of patriotism involving gunpowder and the Holmes Hole Liberty Pole in 1778. Her in-depth knowledge of the messy reality of the Revolution on the Vineyard is sure to delight all who walk along these ancient roads with her.

Your Guide’s Alter-Ego: Mrs. Allen is portrayed by Norah Van Riper, a washashore with an in-depth knowledge of the messy reality of 18th-century women’s daily lives and how the domestic sphere most definitely intersected with - and influenced - the public sphere. She has been a professional in the living history field since 2000 and is now forging her way as an independent historian who coincidentally lives on today’s Hatch Road in Vineyard Haven. (Photo credit: Ray Ewing, Vineyard Gazette. Mrs. Allen stands in front of the Beehive, also known as the Thomas Chase House, where she was born in 1717.)