Wikipedia

Romaine Tenney

Romaine Tenney (1900 - September 12, 1964) was an American farmer. His Vermont farm was seized by eminent domain in order to build Interstate 91. Instead of watching bulldozers tear down his home and farm buildings, Tenney decided to burn them down himself. Tenney nailed himself shut in his bedroom and died by suicide, his body burning with his house.[1]

Romaine Tenney
Romaine Tenney in 1964
Born1900
DiedSeptember 12, 1964 (aged 64)
Cause of deathSuicide
NationalityAmerican
OccupationFarmer

Early life

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Tenney was born in 1900 to his parents Myron and Rosa, he was the fourth born of nine total children. His father died when he was 14, leaving his mother to raise the family and run the farm. He left the family farm only once for military service.[2]

Death

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In the early morning hours of September 12, 1964, Tenney released his animals, set fire to his barns and shed, and ultimately barricaded himself inside his burning farmhouse. It was later determined he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound before the flames claimed him.[3]

Romaine Tenney Memorial Park

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The Romaine Tenney Memorial Park is located at the I-91 Exit 8 park-and-ride in Ascutney, Vermont. The park features a picnic pavilion and the stump of the last large maple tree from Tenney's farm, which was cut down on March 17, 2021, due to its poor health.[4][5] The park was built with a $30,000 grant from the Vermont Agency of Transportation.[6]

Inspiration

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Tenney's life has been the inspiration for songs, books, and poetry.

  • "The Ballad of Romaine Tenney" by Sean Kelly Murray[7]
  • "Spark" by Ben Fuller[8][9]
  • "Romaine Tenney" by Dan Lindner[10]
  • The fictional book "Just Compensation" by Richard Lechthaler[11]
  • A poem by Neil Shepard[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Barry, Ellen (2021-05-27). "Goodbye to a Yankee Farmer, the Ghost of Exit 8". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  2. ^ "The Vermonter Who Loved His Farm To Death". New England Today. 2013-03-31. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  3. ^ "Interstates, Burning Farms & Eminent Domain: Remembering Romaine Tenney". Vermont Public Radio. 2019-10-29. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  4. ^ "As Tree Falls, State Ponders How To Memorialize Romaine Tenney's Death, Legacy Of Resistance". Vermont Public Radio. 2021-03-22. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  5. ^ Bearse, Provided by deForest (20 March 2021). "Romaine Tenney tree removed after yearslong battle". The Eagle Times. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  6. ^ Jim, Kenyon (2021-04-10). "Jim Kenyon: Ascutney farmer's story is a hard one to tell". Valley News.
  7. ^ eMinor. "The Ballad of Romaine Tenney | Sean Kelly Murray". ReverbNation. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  8. ^ "Song commemorates Vermonter who lost farm to Interstate 91". Valley News. 2019-11-20. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  9. ^ Adrian, Patrick (16 October 2019). "Local country musician puts a 'spark' in old history". The Eagle Times. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  10. ^ Lane, Mark Bushnell Life in the Past (6 March 2016). "An ear for history Dan Lindner puts the past to music". Rutland Herald. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  11. ^ "Just Compensation (Paperback) | Northshire Bookstore". www.northshire.com. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  12. ^ "Promoting the Work of Poets and Writers from New England". Brilliant Light Publishing. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
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