A Bennington Historical Society Presentation

Bennington is a town with a proud Revolutionary-era history, and it has been a center for patriotic commemoration since Revolutionary times: from the commemoration of the first anniversary of the Battle of Bennington in 1778, to the dedication of the Bennington Battle Monument in 1891, to the annual parades organized by the Bennington Fire Department since 1963. The commemorations held almost a century ago are also worth mentioning: 100,000 people came to Bennington to celebrate over the course of one week in August 1927. The 2020 commemoration, held during the pandemic, stands out as a recent example of the importance of historical memory to our lives in the present, and of the determination of the town to commemorate. 

America’s 250^th birthday arrives on July 4, 2026. In Vermont, in May of 2025, we will also be celebrating the 250^th of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys’ taking of Fort Ticonderoga, and in 2027 we will celebrate both the Patriot victory at the Battle of Bennington and the creation of the independent state of Vermont.

The Bennington 250^th Committee is a group of local citizens who have come together to help plan and co-ordinate commemorations in Bennington County during those three anniversary years. Members of the Committee will discuss their approach and their plans – still in the beginning stages – and ask for feedback from members of the audience.

The Bennington Historical Society is a volunteer-run program of Bennington Museum. The BHS offers its programs at no charge with support from Nexus Consulting. You can support the efforts of the BHS to share the history of our region by making a donation.