Originally, Grand Isle, North Hero and South Hero were granted to Ethan Allen, Samuel Herrick and 363 other Revolutionary War veterans as a single town known as Two Heroes. Hamilton Child's 1883 Gazetteer of Franklin and Grand Isle Counties says the name referred to Ethan and Ira Allen. However, Ethan and Herrick are named first in the grant, while Ira is considerably down the list after Jonas Fay, Thomas Chittenden and other founding fathers, many of whom were as respected as Ira.
In 1798, Two Heroes was divided into North Hero, Middle Hero and South Hero, the last two sharing a representative to the legislature, hence they were not entirely separate towns. This arrangement was not entirely satisfactory: in 1810, Middle Hero was given complete autonomy and renamed Grand Isle, which is what the French had originally called the whole island.
Just across the lake, in New York, is Fort Ticonderoga. At the outset of the American Revolution just a half-company of British soldiers manned the Fort. On May 10, 1775, Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold, and the Green Mountain Boys crossed Lake Champlain from Vermont under cover of darkness. At dawn they surprised the sleeping garrison and overwhelmed them, making Fort Ticonderoga the site of America's first victory of the Revolutionary War. That winter Colonel Henry Knox lead a grueling overland expedition taking cannon from Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point on sledges to Boston, where General Washington's army was attempting to free the city from British occupation. The cannon placed on Dorchester Heights resulted in the British evacuation of Boston on March 17, 1776.
Alburg is located in Grand Isle County north of North Hero, on Grand Isle in Lake Champlain. It lies along Highway 2 near North Hero State Park. Alburg was chartered on February 23, 1781 and its area is 47 square miles. The 2000 U.S. Census listed Alburg's population at 1,952. A significant amount of traffic passes through Alburg, which lies along part of the sole northern land route between Vermont and New York. It has resisted development and remains primarily agricultural in nature. The surrounding area is a peninsula extending south from Canada into Lake Champlain; thus it boasts numerous lakeshore properties, a natural attraction for summer living.
North Hero is a village on Grand Isle in Lake Champlain. It is the seat of Grand Isle County and lies along Highway 2 near Knight Point State Park. The 2000 U.S. Census lists North Hero's population at 810. A local attraction is the Annual Antique Show & Sale, dating to 1962, always on the third Friday and Saturday in July.
South Hero (pop. 1,696) is part of Grand Isle County in the northwestern corner of the state on Highway 2. South Hero shares an island with the village of Grand Isle on Lake Champlain. Today South Hero is noted for its efforts to develop a bike trail on a former rail bed. Points of interest include the Rutland Railroad car #707, which has been preserved near the intersection of Routes 2 and 314 in South Hero, and nearby Sand Bar State Park.
