Romaine Tenney Explained

Romaine Tenney
Birth Date:1900
Death Date:September 12, 1964 (aged 64)
Death Cause:Suicide
Nationality:American
Occupation:Farmer

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]

Early life

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

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

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

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

See also

Notes and References

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

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