Southeast Corner of Putnam Square

The High Victorian Gothic style commercial block at the southeast corner of Putnam Square was constructed in 1886 as the Bennington village post office and a retail store. The first store in the building was a jewelry store, which remained in that location until the early 1920s. In 1914, the post office moved to its new building on South Street, and the Bennington County National Bank moved in. A bank has been in this location ever since. The clock currently on the corner was installed in 1928 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Bennington County National Bank. It is the only freestanding clock in Bennington County. Most of the buildings to the east, or left in this image, have been replaced with more modern commercial structures.