Ethan Allen: Folk Hero and His Contemporary Frontiersmen

Ethan Allen: Folk Hero and His Contemporary FrontiersmenA Bennington Historical Society PresentationEthan Allen was many things to many people. This presentation will focus on his role as a folk hero. Allen’s initial contact with Vermont was as a frontiersman, exploring......More

Ethan Allen: Folk Hero and His Contemporary FrontiersmenA Bennington Historical Society PresentationEthan Allen was many things to many people. This presentation will focus on his role as a folk hero. Allen’s initial contact with Vermont was as a frontiersman, exploring the land in the late 1760s. As a hunter and trapper, he lived in the wilderness, beyond the bounds of the early settlements. The knowledge of the land and settlers he met along the way paved the way for later land speculation, settlements, and governance. The Ethan Allen we know today reflects a larger-than-life image, based in part on truth, legend, and hyperbole, i.e., the “folk hero” of the 14th State. Don Miller will compare the folk heroes from the 15th, 16th, and 17th states, from Daniel Boone to Davy Crocket. What do the contemporaries have in common? How are the different? What role does the folk hero play in our story? Don Miller is an active student of history, past President of the Bennington Historical Society, and currently a Board member of the Vermont Historical Society. This program will take place in person. A recording will be available for later viewing. Bennington Museum requires the use of a face mask that covers both the mouth and the nose at all times while inside the building. Thank you for helping to keep all of our visitors and staff healthy. The Bennington Historical Society is a volunteer-run program of Bennington Museum. The BHS offers its programs at no charge. Please consider supporting the efforts of the BHS to share the history of our region by making a donation. Support the BHS 

Bennington Museum

Museum ABCs: Creatures from Planet Imagination

Museum ABCs: Creatures from Planet ImaginationIt’s time for monsters (but not the really scary kind). We will look for unusual creatures in the galleries and use bright colors to create our own new beings. The Museum ABCs program is a collaboration between Bennington Mu......More

Museum ABCs: Creatures from Planet ImaginationIt’s time for monsters (but not the really scary kind). We will look for unusual creatures in the galleries and use bright colors to create our own new beings. The Museum ABCs program is a collaboration between Bennington Museum and the Bennington Free Library. The program is intended for children ages 3 to 5 and their adult companions and supports early literacy and a lifelong love of museums and learning. Museum ABCs is offered at no charge to participants, thanks to generous support from The Bank of Bennington.

Bennington Museum

Volunteer on the GAWT

Help us keep our 10-acre park in shape! A group of dedicated volunteers meets each Saturday morning to keep the George Aiken Wildflower Trail in good condition for public enjoyment. Volunteer jobs include weeding out invasives, planting new native shrubs, mulching, clea......More

Help us keep our 10-acre park in shape! A group of dedicated volunteers meets each Saturday morning to keep the George Aiken Wildflower Trail in good condition for public enjoyment. Volunteer jobs include weeding out invasives, planting new native shrubs, mulching, clearing fallen limbs, and setting up trail-side activities for kids. We would love to have you join the team to help show our visitors how beautiful this natural Vermont landscape can be.  Bring a friend, bring gardening gloves and your favorite equipment.  Jackie Marro, the lead trail volunteer, will be on-site bright and early to help direct all efforts. Learn more about the GAWT trail and Hadwen Woods HERE. We hope to see you soon, and thank you!

Museum ABCs: Creatures from Planet Imagination

Museum ABCs: Creatures from Planet ImaginationIt’s time for monsters (but not the really scary kind). We will look for unusual creatures in the galleries and use bright colors to create our own new beings. The Museum ABCs program is a collaboration between Bennington Mu......More

Museum ABCs: Creatures from Planet ImaginationIt’s time for monsters (but not the really scary kind). We will look for unusual creatures in the galleries and use bright colors to create our own new beings. The Museum ABCs program is a collaboration between Bennington Museum and the Bennington Free Library. The program is intended for children ages 3 to 5 and their adult companions and supports early literacy and a lifelong love of museums and learning. Museum ABCs is offered at no charge to participants, thanks to generous support from The Bank of Bennington.

Bennington Museum

NBOSS Closing Reception

Save the Date- times TBD Snacks and beverages will be provided. This outdoor event is open to everyone! Learn more about this fabulous exhibition HERE

Volunteer on the GAWT

Help us keep our 10-acre park in shape! A group of dedicated volunteers meets each Saturday morning to keep the George Aiken Wildflower Trail in good condition for public enjoyment. Volunteer jobs include weeding out invasives, planting new native shrubs, mulching, clea......More

Help us keep our 10-acre park in shape! A group of dedicated volunteers meets each Saturday morning to keep the George Aiken Wildflower Trail in good condition for public enjoyment. Volunteer jobs include weeding out invasives, planting new native shrubs, mulching, clearing fallen limbs, and setting up trail-side activities for kids. We would love to have you join the team to help show our visitors how beautiful this natural Vermont landscape can be.  Bring a friend, bring gardening gloves and your favorite equipment.  Jackie Marro, the lead trail volunteer, will be on-site bright and early to help direct all efforts. Learn more about the GAWT trail and Hadwen Woods HERE. We hope to see you soon, and thank you!

BHS Monthly Meeting

Bennington Historical SocietyThe mission of the Bennington Historical Society (BHS) is to recover and preserve information about the history of the Bennington region and share this information with the community through projects, publications, programs, and other activi......More

Bennington Historical SocietyThe mission of the Bennington Historical Society (BHS) is to recover and preserve information about the history of the Bennington region and share this information with the community through projects, publications, programs, and other activities. The Society is a volunteer-operated program of Bennington Museum and serves to support the Museum’s mission by fostering a greater understanding of our common heritage. BHS members conduct oral history interviews, and collect and transcribe diaries, letters, and other documents that provide insights into life in and around Bennington. The BHS organizes and presents programs throughout the year, both virtually and in person, which are free and open to the public. The group meets on the first Monday of every month and these meetings are open to all BHS supporters and Museum members. Donate to the BHS today or become a Museum member to participate in these meetings and to sign up for the newsletter!

Bennington Museum

Volunteer on the GAWT

Help us keep our 10-acre park in shape! A group of dedicated volunteers meets each Saturday morning to keep the George Aiken Wildflower Trail in good condition for public enjoyment. Volunteer jobs include weeding out invasives, planting new native shrubs, mulching, clea......More

Help us keep our 10-acre park in shape! A group of dedicated volunteers meets each Saturday morning to keep the George Aiken Wildflower Trail in good condition for public enjoyment. Volunteer jobs include weeding out invasives, planting new native shrubs, mulching, clearing fallen limbs, and setting up trail-side activities for kids. We would love to have you join the team to help show our visitors how beautiful this natural Vermont landscape can be.  Bring a friend, bring gardening gloves and your favorite equipment.  Jackie Marro, the lead trail volunteer, will be on-site bright and early to help direct all efforts. Learn more about the GAWT trail and Hadwen Woods HERE. We hope to see you soon, and thank you!

Community Event Honoring Veterans

American Legion Post 13 and Bennington Museum will honor all veterans and rededicate the Civil War Memorial on Saturday, November 6th,  1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, followed by a reception and family activity in the museum.Participation in the event is free of charge general muse......More

American Legion Post 13 and Bennington Museum will honor all veterans and rededicate the Civil War Memorial on Saturday, November 6th,  1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, followed by a reception and family activity in the museum.Participation in the event is free of charge general museum admission is ½ price ($6.00 for Adults, $5.00 for Seniors 62+) all day for veterans, active military, and their families. Youth aged 17 and younger are always admitted free.  Additional parking will be available at the Monument Elementary School directly across Main Street.  American Legion Post 13 Color Guard and the Legion Riders will open the afternoon event at 1:00 PM at the Civil War Memorial.  Speakers will include Legion Commander Steve Greenslet and Bennington Museum Curator Jamie Franklin.This historic marker (pictured before restoration), honoring over 450 Bennington soldiers who fought in the Civil War,  stands on a rise in the ground directly in front of the Museum. It features a bronze relief panel of Bennington Union soldiers marching and a plaque created by local sculptor, William Gordon Huff. Commissioned by the American Legion and presented for a state convention on Bennington Battle Day in 1930, this major Civil War monument remained under the Legion’s care for the next 30 years until ownership was formally turned over to the Museum in the 1960s. The Regional History Room will be open for veteran research and Civil War clothing and artifacts will be on display in the Flag and Textile Gallery in the Museum. Conservation made possible through the generosity of the Robert Fleming & Jane Howe Patrick Foundation, American Legion Post 13, and other donors. At 2:00 PM, a reception and family activity will take place in the Ada Paresky Education Center on the upper level of the museum.  An exhibition of artwork by Vermont Veterans’ Home artists will be on view for the afternoon.All are welcome to enjoy light refreshments and participate in a project for all ages honoring  veterans by creating illustrated letters thanking them for their service.  These works of art will be given to the Veterans’ Home for distribution and display, or families may opt to save them for a personal thank you to the veterans in their lives.

Museum ABCs: Abenaki Art

Museum ABCs: Abenaki ArtVisit the Museum’s display of old and new Abenaki artwork and get inspired to create a woven bowl. The Museum ABCs program is a collaboration between Bennington Museum and the Bennington Free Library. The program is intended for children ages 3 t......More

Museum ABCs: Abenaki ArtVisit the Museum’s display of old and new Abenaki artwork and get inspired to create a woven bowl. The Museum ABCs program is a collaboration between Bennington Museum and the Bennington Free Library. The program is intended for children ages 3 to 5 and their adult companions and supports early literacy and a lifelong love of museums and learning. Museum ABCs is offered at no charge to participants, thanks to generous support from The Bank of Bennington.

Bennington Museum

Museum ABCs: Abenaki Art

Museum ABCs: Abenaki ArtVisit the Museum’s display of old and new Abenaki artwork and get inspired to create a woven bowl. The Museum ABCs program is a collaboration between Bennington Museum and the Bennington Free Library. The program is intended for children ages 3 t......More

Museum ABCs: Abenaki ArtVisit the Museum’s display of old and new Abenaki artwork and get inspired to create a woven bowl. The Museum ABCs program is a collaboration between Bennington Museum and the Bennington Free Library. The program is intended for children ages 3 to 5 and their adult companions and supports early literacy and a lifelong love of museums and learning. Museum ABCs is offered at no charge to participants, thanks to generous support from The Bank of Bennington.

Bennington Museum

Love, Marriage, and Divorce

Love, Marriage, and DivorceA Bennington Historical Society PresentationThe highs and lows of love and heartache, from Victorian wedding gowns to scandalous tales of sexual harassment. Marriage isn’t what it used to be, but what did it really used to be? In Colonial Amer......More

Love, Marriage, and DivorceA Bennington Historical Society PresentationThe highs and lows of love and heartache, from Victorian wedding gowns to scandalous tales of sexual harassment. Marriage isn’t what it used to be, but what did it really used to be? In Colonial America, marriage was largely a matter of property and reproduction. Romantic love as we know it today was not considered necessary to wedded bliss until the Victorian era. Some same-sex couples quietly cohabited in the Green Mountains in plain sight during the nineteenth century, although their relationships were not recognized as “marriage” until a century later. Domestic abuse, sexual harassment, and scandal have been tabloid fodder since the earliest days of Vermont’s statehood. Despite changing social customs, we may find that human nature has changed very little over the years, although the nature of marriage continues to shift. About the PresenterCallie Raspuzzi has been the Collections Manager at the Bennington Museum for 16 years. She attended Colgate University and has a Master’s degree in Museum Studies from the George Washington University. This program will take place in person. A recording will be available for later viewing. Bennington Museum requires the use of a face mask that covers both the mouth and the nose at all times while inside the building. Thank you for helping to keep all of our visitors and staff healthy. The Bennington Historical Society is a volunteer-run program of Bennington Museum. The BHS offers its programs at no charge. Please consider supporting the efforts of the BHS to share the history of our region by making a donation. Support the BHS 

Bennington Museum