Another cause to add to my list. Who knew Vermont had to pay an entry fee to join the USA? NYCO reports that, according to one judge, that fee should be paid back with 215 years of interest. It is a bit of a joke as it was raised in a debate not a ruling but here is what it is about:

Before Vermont joined the union in 1791, New York argued it was owed the money to repay land claims in what was then the independent Republic of Vermont dating to a 1664 British royal proclamation. Vermont and New York officials signed a payment agreement on Oct. 7, 1790. The first payment was in 1794. It took Vermont five years to finish paying the debt, said state Archivist Gregory Sanford.

There is a lot of weird history in this general neck of the woods.The Connecticut and Pennsylvania war of the late 1700s over the Wyoming Valley, seven hours south of here, arose from a similar clash of claims from original Crown grants. Maybe they should replay that, too. I could, though, do without recreating the Hunters Lodges interest in these parts.