History

History. Chartered 1749 ~ Settled 1761. , Why Is It Called The Battle of Bennington? , It would be better to say it was the Battle for Bennington, because the target of the British raid was a Continental supply depot where the Bennington Monument now stands. The raiders never got there. They were soundly defeated on August 16, 1777, just over the New York line by a combined force of Vermonters and militiamen from surrounding states under Gen. John Stark, and the Continental regiment of Green Mountain Boys under Col. Seth Warner. Bennington was a critical Patriot victory that led to the British surrender at Saratoga two months later, which changed the course of the war , and the history of the world., Bennington Pottery , Bennington has been known for its pottery since 1785. That was when Captain John Norton began making redware here, using clay deposits from the Walloomsac. The coming of the railroad in the 19th century enabled Bennington to develop national markets for pottery of various kinds. Then, in 1948, David Gil founded Bennington Potters, famous for its stylish and functional designs for visitors. Pottery enthusiasts will also want to take in the outstanding collections at the Bennington Museum., North Bennington , Home to Bennington College, a beautiful lake, a repurposed stone mill, and small-scale industries, this charming village along Paran Creek has its own personality. If you go from here to there via Silk Road and Murphy Road, you can pass through three covered bridges , if you don't mind meandering across the Walloomsac River three times., Old Bennington , This well-preserved and walkable village is where the town started in 1761. The Old First Church (1805) and the adjacent cemetery, with its beautiful carved stones, are not to be missed; it's also where poet Robert Frost and many of Bennington's first settlers are buried. The Bennington Museum, the Bennington Monument, and the historic houses along Monument Avenue welcome visitors from around the world., "Freedom and Unity" , Ira Allen gave Vermont its motto in 1788, three years before it became the 14th state. "The Vermont idea grapples with the basic problem of human conduct , how to reconcile the needs of the group with the craving for individual freedom," wrote Arlington author Dorothy Canfield Fisher. Many men and women from Bennington have served in the nation's armed forces. In the 1960s Main Street was the scene of a citizen protest against the Woolworth company, which maintained segregated lunch counters in the South. The town continues a tradition of civic activism and community involvement in our own day., Revolutionary Bennington , Bennington is famous as the home of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, as well as for the Revolutionary War battle which bears his name. Vermont declared its own independence one year after the U.S. did, though territorial disputes kept it out of the Union until 1791, when it became the 14th state. Its 1777 Constitution made it the very first state on American soil to ban adult slavery., Industrial Bennington , The town has been a manufacturing center from its earliest days. In the 19th century the era of sawmills and grist mills gave way to the large-scale production of iron, paper, pottyer, and textiles, powered by energy from the Walloomsac River. The 20th and 21st centuries have seen Bennington produce automobile and aircraft parts, computers, sports equipment, and specialized fabrics, among many other goods., Creative Bennington , Bennington has long been a hotbed of artistic and technical innovation, from the invention by Henry W. Putnam of the Lightning Jar in 1859 to the modernist creations of painters, sculptors, and dancers at Bennington College. The Oldcastle Theatre Company, founded in 1972, is headquartered right downtown, and the Vermont Arts Exchange of North Bennington sponsors shows and performances by local, regional, and national talent., [Timeline:] ,

1761 - Bennington Settled , 1777 - Vermont Constitution and the Battle of Bennington , 1785 - Norton Potters Established , 1852 - The Railroad Arrives , 1865 - Park-McCuloough Mansion Built , 1932 - Bennington College Founded , 2019 - Putnam Block Redevelopment Begins , Today