Romaine Tenney of Weathersfield died on this day in 1964. His family home caught on fire with him inside, and most believe he started the fire deliberately.

The construction of I-91 changed the Vermont landscape. Ledge was blasted, trees were cut, farmland was destroyed and houses were torn down. Tenney’s family home was destined for that very fate. It stood directly in the path for I-91’s Exit 8 in Weathersfield.

Romaine Tenney was 64 years old and a lifetime Weathersfield farmer. It is believed that he set the fire, destroying his family home and killing himself, in protest against the development of I-91.

The Vermont Book Of Days photo.