Monument Ave. Extension Ave. Monument **This map is not to scale to not is map **This
Monument to General John Stark John General to Monument 27
Centennial of Vermont statehood Vermont of Centennial
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Monument to Colonel Seth Warner Seth Colonel to Monument 26 the and 1777 in Bennington of
Battle the celebrating Monument Bennington Battle Monument Battle Bennington 25 3
Battle Bennington of Dedication 1891 Captain David Robinson House Robinson David Captain 24
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Governor John Robinson House Robinson John Governor
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develops “Algiers,”
5 Fay-Brown House Fay-Brown 7
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called Bennington, Downtown 1841
Ellenwood-Daniel Conkling House Conkling Ellenwood-Daniel 21
VT Route 9 / West Rd. West / 9 Route VT
9 Uel Robinson House Robinson Uel Times the of Journal 20
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William Lloyd Garrison publishes publishes Garrison Lloyd William Monument Ave. 1828
Richard Carpenter House Carpenter Richard 19
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General David Robinson House Robinson David General
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dedicated Church First Old 1806
Samuel Raymond House Raymond Samuel 17
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Main St. Main
Site of Samuel Robinson’s log cabin log Robinson’s Samuel of Site 16 state independent an as years
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States United the joins Vermont 1791 Catamount Tavern 1767 Tavern Catamount 14
Asa Hyde House Hyde Asa
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16 August on Bennington of Battle 1777
Site of Ethan Allen’s House Allen’s Ethan of Site 12
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Site of the County Courthouse 1847 Courthouse County the of Site
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16 Site of the Meetinghouse 1763 Meetinghouse the of Site 10 an itself declares Vermont 1777
Old First Church First Old 9 Bank St. Bank
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Vermont in church
Walloomsac Inn Walloomsac 8
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Meetinghouse built, first Protestant Protestant first built, Meetinghouse 1763
Colonel Nathaniel Brush House Brush Nathaniel Colonel 7
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Monument to William Lloyd Garrison Lloyd William to Monument 6
Bennington in
Monument Ave. 20
Roberts House Roberts 5 born child first Harwood, Benjamin 1762
Jedidiah Dewey House Dewey Jedidiah
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Connecticut and Massachusetts Isaiah Hendryx House Hendryx Isaiah 3
Bennington settled by families from from families by settled Bennington 1761 22
Hiram Waters House Waters Hiram 2
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Pliney Dewey House Dewey Pliney 1
Wentworth
24 New Hampshire Governor Benning Benning Governor Hampshire New
Key and Map Charter granted to Bennington by by Bennington to granted Charter 1749 Timeline
Bennington Old Rd. Walloomsac
History
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25 27 BenningtonOld Looking north up Monument Ave., 1892-1896, Madison Watson (1863-1949), Collection of the Bennington Museum
Old Bennington Chartered in 1749, Bennington was the first town created in Vermont. In June of 1761 twenty-two settlers from Massachusetts came to Old Bennington, in the wilderness of Vermont, under the leadership of Captain Samuel Robinson to form a Congregational community centered around a village green and a meeting house. Bennington Historical Society Walking Tour The community grew rapidly, hosting many fine homes, schools, a cemetery, post office, and View of Bennington, 1798, Ralph Earl (1751-1801), Collection of the Bennington Museum courthouse. It was a self-contained community he mission of the Bennington Historical with many local artisans and merchants to TSociety is to research the history of provide service. Bennington and surrounding communities and The Green Mountain Boys ventured out from share our insights with the public. We hope Discover the Stories here to fight for their land and freedom in the to foster a greater understanding of our Battle of Bennington. In July of 1777, the Council common heritage. of Twenty-Seven of Safety met in Bennington and wrestled with the The society conducts approximately eight affairs of the newly created Republic of Vermont. monthly meetings per year in Bennington Buildings & Monuments At the meeting house they discussed the new Museum’s beautiful Ada Paresky Education Vermont constitution, prohibiting slavery and Center. Our monthly presentations are usually offering near universal male suffrage. Bennington on the third Sunday of the month at 2:00 p.m in Vermont’s produced six Vermont governors. in the Ada Paresky Education Center at the However, as industry grew, activity began to Bennington Museum, located at 75 Main First & Oldest Town shift downhill along the Walloomsac River which Street in Bennington. provided power to operate mills and machinery.
Government offices and business soon followed, We are grateful to our sponsors: leaving Old Bennington behind as a quiet Tri-State FCU, Town of Bennington, residential community. Bank of Bennington, Bennington Potters, and Hawkins House Craftsmarket. Old Bennington reflects a history of change; homes have been taken down, moved, benningtonhistory.org [email protected] and renovated but the character of individualism Bennington Historical Society and freedom remains and continues in the spirit Follow the tour with your phone of Bennington and of Vermont. ~ Bennington Museum ~ 1 Pliney Dewey House 1800 10 Site of Bennington 19 Richard Carpenter House 1819 Built by son of Jedidiah Meetinghouse 1763 One of the many tradesmen in Dewey, first pastor of the First On this site stood the original Old Bennington, Carpenter Church. Pliney ran a cider mill Meetinghouse. The building was operated a tailor shop with by the brook behind the 40 x 50 feet and served as a Isaiah Hendryx. The triple Federal style house. school, a church, and Town Hall. window above the door shows Prisoners from the Battle of Bennington were held here. The renovations carried out in the Vermont legislature convened here in 1778. it was dismantled early 1900’s when it was after the completion of the new church and parts used in other doubled in size, had its roof line changed and the triple windows dwellings in the area. added above the door. 2 Hiram Waters House 1820 Waters was a carpenter and built the house at left. The 11 Site of County Courthouse 1847 20 The Uel Robinson House 1828 shop, built in 1862, was This was the third Courthouse to Uel was the grandson of Samuel connected to the home. Both be built in Old Bennington. It Robinson. The house is a buildings are in the Greek burned in 1869 and was rebuilt Federal style / Greek Revival Revival style with the carpenter’s in a location on South Street, clapboard home. Interestingly, own embellishments such as the moving the base of power from two of Uel’s sons moved to starburst on the pediment. Old Bennington to what is now downtown Bennington. In South Carolina and served in the Vermont a Shire Town is a county seat, and Bennington and Confederate Army during the 3 Isaiah Hendryx House 1830 Manchester both share that distinction. The June term of the Civil War. In this brick house the front County Court convenes at Bennington and the December term at Manchester. Ethan Allen’s home, built in 1769 was next door. door and the fanlight are in the Ellenwood-Daniel Conkling Federal style while the Gable 21 with its pediment reflect the House 1810 Ethan Allen's House 1769 Greek revival style showing 12 This home was enlarged and Ethan Allen lived here from the changing architectural embellished in the Italianate style 1769 to 1775. He is best known styles of the period. Hendryx in 1859. At one time it sported a as one of the founders of was a tailor, one of the many tradesmen and merchants that cupola. Ellenwood’s carriage Vermont and for the capture of worked in Old Bennington providing goods and services to the shop was next door. Fort Ticonderoga early in the community. Revolutionary War. A historic marker is located a few feet Jedidiah Dewey House 1763 4 north of the homesite. The Fay-Brown House 1781 Built by Jedidiah Dewey, a 22 This is the only stone building carpenter and the first pastor of in the area and was built as a the First Church, this is one of Asa Hyde House 1787 13 blacksmith shop. It was the oldest frame buildings in Asa Hyde, a skilled cabinet converted into a dwelling in Vermont. The house was maker, came to Bennington 1857 and underwent remodeling located nearby the original from Norwich, Connecticut, in in 1937. “Minister’s Lot’ of 320 acres 1805 to work with the building that was granted to him by the town proprietors and stretched all of the First Church. He is the way to the Walloomsac River. responsible for many of the features of the church, including 23 Governor John Robinson the columns, pews, and pulpit. House 1860 5 Roberts House 1895 Robinson, the first Democratic Built in the Colonial revival Governor of Vermont, was style it reflects the earlier Site of the 14 elected in 1853. The house was Federal style of the other Catamount Tavern 1767 built in the vernacular style that buildings on the street. It was Originally the Stephen Fay combined both Greek Revival the home of novelist John Tavern, the building stood on and Federal features. Gardner while he taught at this site and served as the Bennington College. headquarters of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, who 24 Captain David Robinson 6 William Lloyd Garrison left from here in 1775 to capture House 1790 Fort Ticonderoga. General Stark, Marker Robinson was a grandson of who commanded the American William Lloyd Garrison, the Samuel Robinson, one of the forces in the Battle of great abolitionist, briefly ran a founders of Bennington. Upon Bennington, conferred here with newspaper, The Journal of the his death he deeded his house to the leaders of Vermont prior to the Battle. British officers Times, in Bennington from the First Congregational Church captured in the Battle were housed here for a short time. The 1828 to 1829 before moving on for use as a parsonage. to establish The Liberator. bronze statue of the catamount commemorates a stuffed mountain lion that once stood in front of the tavern snarling towards New York, then engaged in land disputes with Vermont. The Bennington Battle Col. Nathaniel Brush House 25 7 Monument 1891 1775 Old Academy 1819 Built to commemorate the Battle Colonel Brush commanded two 15 This two story brick building of Bennington, it is located near companies of Vermont militia having a step gable front was the site of the Continental at the Battle of Bennington. The originally built as a school; later Storehouse which was the object home was renovated in 1824 it served as the town library, of the British attack. The and again in the early 1900s. with the fire department in the limestone memorial is 306 feet basement. Just after it was built high, making it the tallest 8 Walloomsac Inn 1771 a windstorm blew off the belfry, structure in Vermont. President Originally the Dewey Tavern, it and part of the facade had to be Benjamin Harrison attended its was built by Elijah Dewey, son replaced. Note the difference in dedication in 1891 on the 100th anniversary of Vermont of Reverend Jedidiah Dewey. the brickwork on the front. statehood. Memorials to General Stark, Colonel Warner, and During Bennington’s heyday as printer Anthony Haswell are located nearby. the jumping-off point for Site of Samuel Robinson’s settling the Vermont frontier, 16 the Walloomsac Inn was an Log Cabin 1761 26 Monument to important stage stop and one of the village’s commercial and Robinson was the founder of Colonel Seth Warner social centers. Prisoners captured at the Battle of Bennington Bennington and leader of the Seth Warner was a resident of were fed from its kitchens, Presidents Thomas Jefferson and first settlers who bought land Bennington and successor to James Madison stayed here in 1791, and President Rutherford titles originating from a grant Ethan Allen as leader of Green B. Hayes held a reception at the Inn celebrating the centennial of made by Governor Benning Mountain Boys. Later, when the Battle of Bennington in 1877. Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt and Wentworth of New Hampshire the Green Mountain Boys her family and later Walt Disney were guests as well. The Inn in 1749. became a Continental Army was in continuous operation as an inn into the 1970s and may be regiment, he led them to victory the oldest inn in Vermont. It is currently a private residence. at the Battle of Bennington.
17 Samuel Raymond House 1821 9 Old First Church 1805 Built of locally made brick, this 27 Monument to The first Protestant was the residence of the congregation in the New president of the first bank in General John Stark Hampshire Grants was Bennington, which was located John Stark, one of the heroes of gathered on December 3, 1762 next door on Bank Street. Bunker Hill, raised 1400 at the Meetinghouse. The First Extensive renovations around volunteers from New Hampshire Congregational Church, built 1930 included a two-story and was the overall commander in 1805, was dedicated in addition and a sunporch. at the Battle of Bennington. 1806. Designed by noted architect Lavius Fillmore, with its Rallying his troops before the Palladian window and open belfry, it represents the best of battle he said “There they are, boys! We beat them today or Federal church architecture. It was restored and rededicated as General David Robinson Vermont’s Colonial Shrine in 1937; Robert Frost read a poem at 18 Molly Stark sleeps a widow the ceremony. The adjacent cemetery, which predates the church, House 1795 tonight!” The sculpture shows contains the graves of many of the founders of Bennington, General David Robinson was General Stark pointing to the battlefield. Governors of Vermont, and a mass grave of German and American one of the sons of Samuel soldiers killed at the Battle of Bennington. The earliest grave is Robinson. This late Georgian that of Bridget Harwood who died in 1762. Robert Frost, house has elegant columns Special thanks to Robert Tegart and the Bennington although not a member of the congregation, is buried here supporting a frieze above our Historical Society for donating their time and knowledge with members of his family. regional version of the Palladian window. to create this walking tour.