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Bennington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns ( county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester. As of the 2020 US Census, the population was 15,333. Bennington is the most populous town in southern Vermont, the second-largest town in Vermont (after Colchester) and the sixth-largest municipality in the state, including the cities of
Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...
,
Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...
, and
South Burlington South Burlington is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Along with neighboring Burlington, it is a principal city of the Burlington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,292. It is home to the head ...
. The town is home to the Bennington Battle Monument, which is the tallest human-made structure in the
state of Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the ...
. The town has a long history of manufacturing, primarily within wood processing. The town is also recognized nationally for its pottery, iron, and
textiles Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
.


History

First of the New Hampshire Grants, Bennington was chartered on January 3, 1749, by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth and named in his honor. It was granted to William Williams and 61 others, mostly from
Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...
, making the town the oldest to be chartered in Vermont and outside of what is now New Hampshire, though
Brattleboro Brattleboro (), originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The most populous municipality abutting Vermont's eastern border with New Hampshire, which is the Connecticut River, Brattleboro is located about nor ...
had been settled earlier as a fort. The town was first settled in 1761 by four families from Hardwick and two from
Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst () is a New England town, town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,263, making it the highest populated municipality in Hampshire County (althoug ...
. They were led by Capt. Samuel Robinson, who camped in the river valley on his return from the French and Indian War. Prior to the arrival of colonists, the land belonged to the Western Abenaki of the Wabanaki Confederacy. These peoples were indigenous to Ndakinna—also known as Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Quebec. There are three historic districts within the town today: Old Bennington, Downtown Bennington and
North Bennington North Bennington is an incorporated village in the town of Bennington in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,716 at the 2020 census. The North Bennington Historic District was added to the National Register of Histori ...
. Of these, Old Bennington is the original settlement, dating back to 1761, when Congregational Separatists arrived from Connecticut and from Amherst and Hardwick, Massachusetts. In the early 1800s, Downtown Bennington started developing, and by 1854 the county's population had reached 18,589.


Battle of Bennington

The town is known in particular for the Battle of Bennington, which took place during the Revolutionary War. Although the battle took place approximately to the west in what is now the state of
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, an ammunition storage building located in Bennington was an important strategic target. On August 16, 1777, Gen.
John Stark Major-General John Stark (August 28, 1728 – May 8, 1822) was an American military officer who served during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. He became known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his exemplary service at the Batt ...
's 1,500-strong New Hampshire Militia defeated 800 German (
Hessian A Hessian is an inhabitant of the German state of Hesse. Hessian may also refer to: Named from the toponym *Hessian (soldier), eighteenth-century German regiments in service with the British Empire **Hessian (boot), a style of boot **Hessian f ...
)
mercenaries A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...
, local Loyalists, Canadians and Indians under the command of German Lt. Col.
Friedrich Baum Friedrich Baum (1727–1777) was a German dragoon Lieutenant Colonel of Brunswick in British service during the American Revolutionary War. Baum served under another German officer, Major General Friedrich Adolf Riedesel, commanding the of th ...
. German reinforcements under the command of Lt. Col. Heinrich von Breymann looked set to reverse the outcome, but were prevented by the arrival of Seth Warner's
Green Mountain Boys The Green Mountain Boys were a militia organization first established in 1770 in the territory between the British provinces of New York and New Hampshire, known as the New Hampshire Grants and later in 1777 as the Vermont Republic (which late ...
, the Vermont militia founded by
Ethan Allen Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, lay theologian, American Revolutionary War patriot, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for ...
. In 1891, the Bennington Battle Monument was opened. The monument is a stone obelisk that is the tallest human-made structure in Vermont. It is a popular tourist attraction.


Geography

Bennington is located in southwestern Bennington County at . To the west is New York State; Pownal is to the south; Shaftsbury is to the north; and
Woodford Woodford may refer to: Places Australia *Woodford, New South Wales *Woodford, Queensland, a town in the Moreton Bay Region *Woodford, Victoria Canada * Woodford, Ontario England *Woodford, Cornwall * Woodford, Gloucestershire *Woodford, Greate ...
is to the east. Located in the southwesternmost portion of Vermont, it is geographically closer to the capital cities of Albany, New York;
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
; and
Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua. The village of ...
than to its own state capital, Montpelier. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.59%, is water. Bennington is drained by the
Walloomsac River The Walloomsac River () from the Native American name, Wal-loom-sac is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 tributary of the Hoosic River in the northeastern ...
and its tributaries, flowing to the Hoosic and then the Hudson River. The town is located along the western edge of the Green Mountains, including Bald Mountain, which occupies the northeastern edge of town. (Its summit is just over the town line in
Woodford Woodford may refer to: Places Australia *Woodford, New South Wales *Woodford, Queensland, a town in the Moreton Bay Region *Woodford, Victoria Canada * Woodford, Ontario England *Woodford, Cornwall * Woodford, Gloucestershire *Woodford, Greate ...
.) In the southwest part of town is Mount Anthony, part of the
Taconic Range The Taconic Mountains or Taconic Range () are a range of the Appalachian Mountains, running along the eastern border of New York State and adjacent New England from northwest Connecticut to western Massachusetts, north to central western Vermont. ...
.


Climate

Bennington experiences a humid continental climate ( Köppen '' Dfb'') with cold, snowy winters and warm to hot, humid summers. Snowfall can vary greatly from year to year. The town can experience snowfall as early as October and as late as April, and the surrounding high country can receive snow as late as May. Nor'easters, accompanied by high winds, often dump heavy snow on the town during the winter, and accumulations of one foot of snow or greater are not uncommon when these storms move through the area. One such storm dumped very wet, heavy snow on October 4, 1987, catching many residents off guard, because it occurred quite early in that year's fall season. The storm resulted in many downed trees and power lines, due in part to that year's fall foliage still being intact. Abundant sunshine, along with heavy showers and thunderstorms, are frequent during the summer months. Although tornadoes seldom occur there, an F2 tornado did hit North Bennington on May 31, 1998, during an extremely rare tornado outbreak in the region. The record high is , set in 1955. The record low is , set in 1994. July is typically the wettest month, and February is the driest. Bennington averages of snow annually. Bennington lies in
USDA plant hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...
5a.


Demographics

As of the
2010 US census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...
, there were 15,764 people, 6,246 households, and 3,716 families residing in the town. The population density was 370.92 people per square mile (143.18/km2). There were 6,763 housing units at an average density of 159.3 per square mile (61.4/km2). The ethnic/ racial makeup of the town was 95.9% White, 1.3% from
two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many culture ...
, 1.2% Black, 0.8%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.4% from other races, 0.3% Native American, and 0.1% Pacific Islander.
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 6,246 households, out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were couples living together and joined in either marriage or civil union, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.88. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $39,765, and the median income for a family was $51,489. Males had a median income of $39,406 versus $30,322 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,560. About 14.2% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.0% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.


Government

Bennington employs an open town meeting form of local government, with an elected seven-member Select Board elected by the town's citizens at large from two districts. The Select Board is considered the "executive branch" of the town's government, which in turn hires and supervises a Town Manager. As of 2021, the town manager is Stuart A. Hurd. The current Town Clerk is Cassandra J. Barbeau. Four representatives from Bennington's two voting districts currently represent the town in Montpelier. Bennington County is also represented by two state senators.


Fire department

The town is protected by both the Bennington Fire Department and the Bennington Rural Fire Department. The current chief of the Bennington Fire Department is Jeff Vickers, and the current chief of the Bennington Rural Fire Department is Wayne Davis.


Police

The town is protected by the Bennington Police Department, which consists of 40 sworn and non-sworn officials serving the town, including the villages of Old Bennington and North Bennington. The police station's home is at 118 South Street in downtown Bennington. Its current Chief of Police is Paul J. Doucette.


Economy

Industries related to agriculture, forestry, fishing, trade and retail, tourism, shipping by air,
health care Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...
and government related jobs help shape and play a vital role in Bennington's economy. Bennington County has 15,194 non-farm employees living or working within the county as of 2013.
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) is a non-profit general medical surgical hospital located in Bennington, Vermont. It is licensed for 99-beds. Founded in the early 20th century by donations from Henry W. Putnam and his son, SVMC is the ...
, with a workforce of approximately 1,300 employees, is the town's largest employer and the seventh largest in Vermont. Its largest for-profit manufacturing employer is NSK Steering Systems America, Inc., with a workforce of 864 as of March 2013. Saint Gobain owns a plastic factory, the former ChemFab plant, which has contaminated the environment with Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). Bennington leaders have formed the Bennington Economic Development Partners to facilitate and expedite economic growth, working from a newly created Strategic Economic Development Plan that promotes the benefits afforded to companies located in the local area. Low interest loans, site-ready properties for manufacturing, R&D, Retail, and Technology are a few of the benefits available to new and existing industries. The Town of Bennington Economic and Community Development Office, th
Better Bennington Corporation
the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce, Bennington County Regional Commission, and Bennington County Industrial Corporation are just some of the partners that coordinate the efforts of the Strategic Plan. Bennington's "big box" development is mostly confined to the Northside Drive and Kocher Drive corridor in the northern portion of town. Long time ski clothing company, CB Sports was headquartered in Bennington. They operated a popular factory outlet store in town which closed in 2008, due to slow sales as a result of the Great Recession.


Downtown

Bennington has a historic downtown with businesses that include a chocolatier, bakery, cafes, pizza parlors, Chinese restaurant, live theatre, breweries and distilleries, bookshop, men's and women's clothiers, jewelers, Vermont crafts and products, toy stores, antique stores, music shops, a hobby shop, a country store, an art shop, a museum, and several galleries. Downtown Bennington is also home to Bennington Potters, Oldcastle Theatre, Hemmings Motor News, Robert Frost's Grave and the Old First Church, the Bennington Museum, Grandma Moses' Schoolhouse, Old Blacksmith Shop Visitor Center, and Madison's Brewery. The downtown area is noted for its historically preserved architecture, outdoor seasonal dining, locally owned shops, cafés, Memorial Fountain Park, antique shops, and river walk paralleling the Walloomsac River. Downtown Bennington is a designated "Vermont Main Street" participant overseen and operated by the Better Bennington Corporation, a nationally accredited National Main Street Program by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.


Big box bylaw

In January 2005, the Select Board proposed a big box bylaw, primarily in response to Wal-Mart's plans to raze its existing outlet and replace it with a Supercenter. The potential negative impact on the town's local economy, the low wages paid by Wal-Mart to its employees, and controversies associated with Wal-Mart in general were cited as reasons in support of the bylaw. The bylaw called for a cap on big box stores. In addition, any retailer wishing to build a store greater than of aggregate store space would be required to submit and pay for an evaluation known as a Community Impact Study to the Select Board for approval. Residents voted against the initial proposal in April 2005. However, the Select Board passed a new bylaw on August 1, 2005, that went into effect August 22.


Transportation


Roads and highways

Bennington is the largest town, and the second-largest municipality in Vermont (after Rutland City), that is not located on or near either of Vermont's two major Interstate highways. It is, however, signed on Interstate 91 at Exit 2 in
Brattleboro Brattleboro (), originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The most populous municipality abutting Vermont's eastern border with New Hampshire, which is the Connecticut River, Brattleboro is located about nor ...
and Interstate 787 at Exit 9E in Green Island, New York. Five highways cross the town, including two limited-access freeways. They are: * U.S. Route 7 ("Ethan Allen Highway") *
Vermont Route 9 Vermont Route 9 (VT 9) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Vermont. The highway runs from the New York state line in Bennington, where it continues west as New York State Route 7 (NY 7), to the New Hampshire state line at the Connecticut ...
("Molly Stark Trail") *
Vermont Route 7A Vermont Route 7A (VT 7A) is a north–south state highway in Bennington County, Vermont, in the United States. It is an alternate route of U.S. Route 7 (US 7) between Bennington and Dorset. The route is signed as "Historic ...
("Shires of Vermont Byway") *
Vermont Route 67A Vermont Route 67 (VT 67) is a east–west state highway in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It runs from a continuation of New York State Route 67 at the New York state line in Shaftsbury to VT 7A farther east in the ...
*
Vermont Route 279 Vermont Route 279 (VT 279), often referred to as the Bennington Bypass, is a two and three-lane undivided northwest bypass of Bennington in Bennington County, Vermont, in the United States. It extends for roughly from the New York st ...
("Bennington Bypass") U.S. Route 7, originating in Connecticut and continuing northward to the Canada–US border, enters Bennington from the town of Pownal.
VT Route 9 Vermont Route 9 (VT 9) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Vermont. The highway runs from the New York state line in Bennington, where it continues west as New York State Route 7 (NY 7), to the New Hampshire state line at the Connecticut ...
enters the town from the
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
border in Hoosick, where the roadway continues west as NY Route 7, connecting to New York state's Capital District. VT Route 279, also known as the Bennington Bypass, is a Super 2 freeway. The western segment continues westward as NY Reference Route 915G (unsigned) into Hoosick, New York, before meeting NY Route 7. This road forms a rough semi-circle shape around and north of the unincorporated portion of the town, loosely parallelling VT Route 9 while doing so. A Vermont Welcome Center, located at the center of Route 279's interchange with US 7. Historic VT Route 7A, so named to distinguish it from the freeway portion of US 7, is the former alignment of that road prior to the freeway being built. Vermont Route 67A remains within Bennington for its entire length.


Bus

Bennington is home to the
Green Mountain Community Network Green Mountain Community Network (GMCN) is a private, nonprofit organization, that owns and operates the public transit system by local bus in Bennington County in southwestern Vermont called the Green Mountain Express. Their bus service current ...
, who operate the local Green Mountain Express bus service. As of September 29, 2014, they provide 5 in-town routes Monday through Saturday from 7:35 am to 6 pm on weekdays, and 3 out of town commuter routes serving Manchester (weekdays and Saturdays), Williamstown (weekdays) and Wilmington (weekdays in collaboration with
Southeast Vermont Transit Southeast Vermont Transit (SEVT) is a local bus operator serving Windham County, Vermont, southern Windsor County, and parts of southern Bennington County. Three Brattleboro local routes and ten regional routes to the north are branded as Rocking ...
, formerly the
Deerfield Valley Transit Association Deerfield may refer to: Places United States *Deerfield, Illinois * Deerfield Township, Illinois (disambiguation) * Deerfield, Indiana *Deerfield, Iowa *Deerfield Township, Chickasaw County, Iowa * Deerfield, Kansas * Deerfield, Lexington, Kentu ...
's, "MOOver"), and intermediate points. Intercity bus service is provided by the weekday operating Yankee Trails World Travel's Albany-Bennington Shuttle, as well as by Premier Coach's
Vermont Translines Vermont Translines is an intercity bus company founded by its parent company, charter bus company Premier Coach, in 2013. The bus company mainly serves the US Route 7 in Vermont, US Route 7 and US Route 4 in Vermont, US Route 4 corridors in the N ...
, in its partnership with Greyhound, which operates its Albany to
Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...
bus line daily. Both buses serve the town from GMCN's bus terminal.


Taxi

A few taxi companies, including Bennington Taxi, Walt's Taxi and Monument Taxi, currently serve Bennington and surrounding areas. Uber and Lyft ridesharing is also available there.


Rail

The
Vermont Railway The Vermont Railway is a shortline railroad in Vermont and eastern New York, operating much of the former Rutland Railway. It is the main part of the Vermont Rail System, which also owns the Green Mountain Railroad, the Rutland's branch to Be ...
freight rail line, and an exempt rail spur, traverses Bennington in the northern portions. The closest Amtrak train station is at the
Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center The Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center (often referred to as the ITC or the Scelsi ITC) is a transit facility located in downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The $11 million facility is named after Joseph Scelsi, a longtime State Repr ...
in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, served by the Boston to Chicago ''Lake Shore Limited'' train. Amtrak train service is also available from Renssalaer, New York.


Air

William H. Morse State Airport William H. Morse State Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located three miles (5 km) west of the central business district of Bennington, a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is also referred to as "Southwest Ver ...
is a public-use, state-owned airport located about west of downtown Bennington. Also referred to as "Southwest Vermont's Airport", it sits near the northern flank of Mount Anthony and close to the Bennington Battle Monument. Based at this airport is the hub of cargo air carrier
AirNow AirNow was an American cargo airline based in Bennington, Vermont. It operated scheduled and charter cargo services throughout the northeast. Its main base was William H. Morse State Airport in Bennington. History The airline was established in ...
. The closest commercial passenger airport to Bennington is
Albany International Airport Albany International Airport is six miles (9 km) northwest of Albany, in Albany County, New York, United States. It is owned by the Albany County Airport Authority. ALB covers of land. It is an air port of entry in the town of Colon ...
.


Education

Bennington is home to a variety of municipal, parochial and private schools. Continuing education is supported by a diverse mix of colleges and career development centers. Bennington College is a progressive four-year
liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capac ...
ranked 89 in Tier 1 by U.S. News College Rankings.
Southern Vermont College Southern Vermont College was a private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college on the former Edward Everett Estate (originally The Orchards) near Bennington, Vermont. The college closed on May 31, 2019. History Southern ...
was a private, four-year liberal arts college offering a career-directed curriculum, but has since closed indefinitely following the 2018–2019 academic year. Northeastern Baptist College opened in 2013. Bennington also has separate satellite campuses of the Community College of Vermont and Vermont Technical College, both located downtown. Bennington currently has four K–12 public elementary schools: * Village School of North Bennington (formerly North Bennington Graded School) * Bennington Elementary School * Monument Elementary School * Molly Stark Elementary School There is one public middle school, the Mount Anthony Union Middle School (MAUMS), and one public high school, the
Mount Anthony Union High School Mount Anthony Union High School is the public high school serving Bennington, Vermont, as well as the towns of Shaftsbury, Woodford, and Pownal, Glastenbury, and Bennington County. As of the 2023-2024 academic year, the school has about 1,200 st ...
(MAUHS). The Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union oversees Bennington's public school system, which also includes a career center, the Southwestern Vermont Career Development Center, located on MAUHS' campus. Grace Christian School is a private, faith-based K–12 school founded in 1995.


High school sports

Bennington is home to the 33-time defending state wrestling champion Mount Anthony Patriots. They have won 33 consecutive Vermont state wrestling championships as of the 2022 season. This is the national record. As of 2010, the Mount Anthony Patriots have also been state champions in men's and women's nordic skiing, baseball, football, golf and women's lacrosse.


Places of worship

There are 22 places of worship in Bennington, 21
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
and one Jewish, and at least 18 denominations. The following list does not include places of worship in North Bennington, which is an incorporated village in Bennington. * Bennington Church of Christ (
Churches of Christ The Churches of Christ is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations based on the ''sola scriptura'' doctrine. Their practices are based on Bible texts and draw on the early Christian church as described in the New Testament. T ...
) * Bennington Friends Meeting (
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
) * Bennington Seventh-day Adventist Church ( Seventh-day Adventist) * Bible Baptist Church of Bennington ( Independent Baptist) * Church Of God Iglesia De Dios Alfa & Omega * The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – Bennington, Vermont ( Latter-day Saints) * Congregation Beth El (
Reconstructionist Judaism Reconstructionist Judaism is a Jewish movement that views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization rather than a religion, based on concepts developed by Mordecai Kaplan (1881–1983). The movement originated as a semi-organized stream wi ...
) * First Baptist Church of Bennington ( American Baptist Churches USA) *
First Congregational Church of Bennington The First Congregational Church of Bennington, also known as the Old First Church, is a historic church in Old Bennington, Vermont. The congregation was organized in 1762 and the current meeting house was built in 1805. The building, one of t ...
( National Association of Congregational Christian Churches) * Green Mountain Christian Center ( Assemblies of God USA) * Green Mountain Mennonite Fellowship (Mennonite: Nationwide Fellowship Churches) * Harvest Christian Ministries * Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses (
Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...
) * Missionary Alliance Church ( Christian and Missionary Alliance) * Sacred Heart Saint Francis de Sales Church ( Roman Catholic) * Second Congregational Church ( United Church of Christ) * St. Peter's Episcopal Church (
Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...
) * Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Bennington ( Unitarian Universalist) * Mission City Church


Former places of worship

* Chapel Road Church of God * First Church of Christ, Scientist (
Christian Science Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes informally know ...
) * Sacred Heart Church (Roman Catholic)


Parks and recreation

The town runs Willow Park, a large park north of downtown, which hosts athletic fields, an 18-hole disc-golf course, a common area for group functions and a large children's playground. The town also runs a recreation center on Gage Street, which contains a large indoor year-round swimming pool, softball fields, outdoor basketball court and weight room. Bennington also has a small network of mostly disconnected multi-use recreational trails; there are plans to better connect these paths in the future. The closest state parks to Bennington are Lake Shaftsbury State Park in Shaftsbury and
Woodford State Park Woodford State Park is a 398-acre state park surrounding Adams Reservoir in Woodford, Vermont. The park is at an elevation of 2400 feet in the Green Mountain National Forest Green Mountain National Forest is a United States National Forest, nat ...
in
Woodford Woodford may refer to: Places Australia *Woodford, New South Wales *Woodford, Queensland, a town in the Moreton Bay Region *Woodford, Victoria Canada * Woodford, Ontario England *Woodford, Cornwall * Woodford, Gloucestershire *Woodford, Greate ...
. The Long Trail and Appalachian Trail overlap each other as they pass the town just to the east.


Culture


Arts

Bennington is the former home of the
Chamber Music Conference and Composers' Forum of the East The Chamber Music Conference and Composers' Forum of the East (CMC) is a summer conference that brings together amateur musicians, professional faculty, and composers-in-residence to study and play chamber music. The CMC was founded in 1946, and mos ...
, a summer institute for amateur musicians. The Conference was held on the campus of Bennington College. Bennington is also home to the Oldcastle Theatre Company, a small professional theatre with a special interest in encouraging New England plays. Bennington College, in the village of North Bennington, has been the home base for
Sage City Symphony Sage City Symphony is a community orchestra based in Bennington, Vermont, United States, that tackles ambitious works from the traditional repertoire as well as commissioning new works. It was formed in 1972 by its first musical director, noted comp ...
since its founding in 1973 by
Louis Calabro Louis Calabro (November 1, 1926 – October 21, 1991) was an Italian American orchestral composer. Calabro studied piano and composition at Juilliard School of Music. Vincent Persichetti was his principal teacher there. Louis Calabro was a mu ...
. The Symphony plays a challenging program of the traditional repertoire as well as commissioning a new work each year. The
Vermont Arts Exchange The Vermont Arts Exchange (VAE) is a non-profit community arts organization based at North Bennington in the US state of Vermont. The mission of the VAE is to strengthen communities and neighborhoods through the arts. History Foundation Co-founde ...
(VAE) is a non-profit community arts organization based in
North Bennington North Bennington is an incorporated village in the town of Bennington in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,716 at the 2020 census. The North Bennington Historic District was added to the National Register of Histori ...
. The mission of the VAE is to strengthen communities and neighborhoods through the arts. VAE hosts exhibitions, artist and community workspaces, and the Basement Music Series. Concerts run year-round and showcase a variety of nationally acclaimed musicians. Bennington is home to the Bennington County Choral Society, the Bennington Children's Chorus and the Green Mountain Youth Orchestra.


Annual events

*First Fridays in Downtown Bennington, July through October *Fallapalooza!, store-to-store trick-or-treating on the Saturday before Halloween *The Winter Festival and Penguin Plunge at Lake Paran in North Bennington in late January benefits Special Olympics of Vermont. *The St. Patrick's Day Parade in March *Mayfest in May, an annual showcase of local business vendors *The Memorial Day Parade in May *Midnight Madness in July, hours and discounts vary but nearly all retailers participate; 7 p.m. to midnight *The Bennington Battle Day Parade in August *The Garlic and Herb Festival during Labor Day weekend *The Festival of Trees in late November and early December


Print media

Bennington's local newspaper is the ''
Bennington Banner ''The Bennington Banner'' is a daily newspaper published in Bennington, Vermont. The paper covers local, national, and world news. It is distributed throughout Southwestern Vermont and eastern New York (Rensselaer and Washington Counties). The pa ...
'', with a daily circulation of 7,800. News is also carried in the ''Troy Record'', '' Rutland Herald'' and ''Manchester Journal''.


Radio and television

Bennington is located in a fringe viewing area of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy television market. In addition to the Albany television stations, which include WRGB ( CBS), WTEN (
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
), WNYT ( NBC), WXXA-TV (
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
) and WMHT ( PBS),
Comcast Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...
carries WCAX-TV, the
Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...
CBS affiliate, and Rutland
Vermont PBS Vermont Public Co. is the public broadcaster serving the U.S. state of Vermont. Its headquarters, newsroom, and radio studios are located in Colchester, with television studios in Winooski. It operates two statewide radio services aligned with ...
outlet WVER. The radio stations WBTN-AM 1370 and VPR affiliate WBTN-FM 94.3 broadcast from, and are licensed to Bennington. The alternative music radio station WEQX is located in nearby Manchester. Bennington is also within range of several stations from Glens Falls and the Capital District. Bennington is also the town of license for these radio station translators: *93.5 FM W228BL ( VPR Classical) *98.5 FM W253AF (translator of
WNGN-FM WNGN (91.9 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a Contemporary Christian format. Licensed to Argyle, New York, United States, the station serves the Saratoga Springs area. The station is owned by Northeast Gospel Broadcasting Inc and features pro ...
from Argyle, NY, Contemporary Christian)


Sites of interest

* Bennington Battle Monument *
Grandma Moses Anna Mary Robertson Moses (September 7, 1860 – December 13, 1961), or Grandma Moses, was an American folk artist. She began painting in earnest at the age of 78 and is a prominent example of a newly successful art career at an advanced age. H ...
Gallery at the Bennington Museum * Park-McCullough Historic House, a well-preserved, 35-room, Victorian
country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...
*
Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloq ...
's grave * Bennington College *
Southern Vermont College Southern Vermont College was a private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college on the former Edward Everett Estate (originally The Orchards) near Bennington, Vermont. The college closed on May 31, 2019. History Southern ...


Photo gallery

Image:PostcardRRStationBenningtonVT1913.jpg, N.Y.C.R.R. station in 1913 Image:FirstCongregationalChurchofBennington.jpg,
First Congregational Church of Bennington The First Congregational Church of Bennington, also known as the Old First Church, is a historic church in Old Bennington, Vermont. The congregation was organized in 1762 and the current meeting house was built in 1805. The building, one of t ...
, 1804 Image:Henry House.jpg, Henry House, 1769 Image:Burt Henry Covered Bridge.jpg,
Burt Henry Covered Bridge The Burt Henry Covered Bridge, also known as the Henry Covered Bridge or just the Henry Bridge, is a covered bridge that spans the Walloomsac River near Bennington, Vermont. A Town lattice truss bridge, it carries River Road, just south of the vi ...
, 1835 Image:SilkCoveredBridge.jpg,
Silk Covered Bridge The Silk Covered Bridge is a covered bridge, carrying Silk Road across the Walloomsac River between downtown Bennington, Vermont and the village of North Bennington, United States. A Town lattice truss bridge, it was built in 1840, and is one of ...
, 1840 Image:The blue benn.JPG, The Blue Benn, a historic diner in Bennington


Infrastructure


Health care

* Bennington is home to
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) is a non-profit general medical surgical hospital located in Bennington, Vermont. It is licensed for 99-beds. Founded in the early 20th century by donations from Henry W. Putnam and his son, SVMC is the ...
, a community hospital that serves southern Vermont, northwestern Massachusetts, and neighboring eastern New York counties. It also and has satellite clinics in Manchester, Pownal and Wilmington, and Deerfield Valley. The 99-bed medical center is known for its excellence in nursing, receiving the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Magnet designation four times consecutively since 2002, and is also associated with a large modern cancer center * The Bennington Rescue Squad provides Primary 911 service in Bennington as well as non-emergency and interfacility transfers and is staffed at the paramedic level by paid career employees. * A number of primary and specialty care providers practice in the Bennington area. Most are affiliated with the
Southwestern Vermont Healthcare Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) is a non-profit general medical surgical hospital located in Bennington, Vermont. It is licensed for 99-beds. Founded in the early 20th century by donations from Henry W. Putnam and his son, SVMC is the ...
system. *
United Counseling Services United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two ...
(UCS) provides Bennington, and the remainder of Bennington County, with services for mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse. The agency is headquartered in Bennington and has a satellite office in Manchester.


Utilities

Bennington's electricity is supplied by
Green Mountain Power Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...
. Non-purchased surface and groundwater is supplied by the Bolles Brook in
Woodford Woodford may refer to: Places Australia *Woodford, New South Wales *Woodford, Queensland, a town in the Moreton Bay Region *Woodford, Victoria Canada * Woodford, Ontario England *Woodford, Cornwall * Woodford, Gloucestershire *Woodford, Greate ...
and the Morgan Spring in Bennington, respectively. The Bennington Water Department manages both water sources. Cable television in Bennington is provided by
Comcast Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...
. Comcast and
Consolidated Communications Consolidated Communications Holdings, Inc., doing business as Consolidated Communications, is an American broadband and business communications provider headquartered in Mattoon, Illinois. The company provides data, internet, voice, managed an ...
also provide the town with landline
phone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into ele ...
and high speed Internet service.


Notable people


In popular culture

* Author Shirley Jackson's memoirs, ''Life Among the Savages'' and ''Raising Demons'', depict mid-20th century life in Bennington. *Much of the 1974 action film ', starring Horst Buchholz, Ann Wedgeworth and Polly Holliday, was filmed in Bennington. *The Walloomsac Farmers Market, held in Bennington each Saturday, ranked #72 on '' The Daily Meal's'' 101 Best Farmer's Markets for 2014 list. * Southern Vermont College's Everett Mansion was featured in a 2015 episode of SyFy's Ghost Hunters.Hunting for Ghosts in southern Vermont
, WCAX. Retrieved 2015-10-28.


See also

* Bennington Free Library *
Bennington Triangle "Bennington Triangle" is a phrase coined by American author Joseph A. Citro to denote an area of southwestern Vermont within which a number of people went missing between 1945 and 1950. This was further popularized in two books, including ''Shado ...


References


External links


Town of Bennington official website

Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce

Bennington Historical Society
{{Authority control Micropolitan areas of Vermont Towns in Vermont County seats in Vermont Towns in Bennington County, Vermont