Free admission Sunday for Bennington Battle Days
The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation has announced that all Vermont State Historic Sites will offer free admission to the public on Sunday, August 16. This special open house commemorates the 249th anniversary of Bennington Battle Day, a pivotal turning point in the American Revolutionary War.
This annual celebration honors the historic Battle of Bennington, fought on August 16, 1777. After a day of non-stop rain, the American forces, lead by Gen. John Stark and Col. Seth Warner, defeated the British and German troops desperately trying to capture much-needed provisions from the colonial arsenal in Bennington. The Battle of Bennington, fought in Walloomsac, NY, about 10 miles from Bennington, was the precursor to the defeat of British Gen. John Burgoyne’s army two months later at Saratoga, turning the tide of war in favor of the Americans. The 306-foot-tall Bennington Battle Monument, the second tallest unreinforced masonry building in the United States, was dedicated in 1891 to mark the site of that colonial arsenal.
Bennington Battle Monument State Historic Site will commemorate Bennington Battle Day weekend with several events. There will be a colonial encampment on the monument grounds on Saturday and Sunday, August 15 and 16. Recounting the story of the Battle of Bennington, Revolutionary War living historians will be on hand to demonstrate artillery drills and camp life. A commemorative Battle of Bennington Flag will be flown on the monument grounds.
On Saturday, August 15, the day begins with the annual Battle Day 5k road race. Registration is online at benningtonbattlemonument.com/events. The children’s quarter-mile fun run around Monument Circle starts at 8:30 am. Following this, a musket shoot will signal the start of the 5K race at 9 am. There will be a poem, written and narrated by Warren Roaf, performed at 11:40 am. The Moodus Fife and Drum Corps, of Moodus, CT, will perform starting at noon, in front of the monument. The corps played in Bennington in 1891 at the dedication of the Bennington Battle Monument.
Two other Vermont State Historic Sites were integral during the American Revolutionary War: Mount Independence in Orwell is one of the most intact Revolutionary War sites in America, and the Hubbardton Battlefield preserves the location of the only Revolutionary battle fought entirely in what would become Vermont. Other Vermont State Historic Sites offering free admission on Bennington Battle Day include Chimney Point in Addison, the President Chester A. Arthur site in Fairfield, and the President Calvin Coolidge site in Plymouth Notch. For further information and hours of operations go to https://historicsites.vermont.gov/.
