Early days in Bennington County, VT, are recalled through a mix of colorful tales, factual data and trivia, in this new booklet comprised of excerpts from three rare vintage books: The Geography and History of Vermont by S.R. Hall (1871); History and Description of New England - Vermont by A.J. Coolidge and J.B. Mansfield (1860); and Vermont, a Guide to the Green Mountain State, written by the Workers of the Federal Writer's Project of the WPA (1937). The 61-page booklet is printed on 60# opaque paper with the print size enlarged as needed to fit the 8 1/2" x 11" size. A vinyl sheet has been added to protect the front cover.
A major part of the booklet consists of histories of each township (town), which vary in size depending on the prominence of the town and its historical significance. The towns and villages include Arlington, West Arlington, East Arlington; Bennington, Centre Bennington, North Bennington; Dorset, South Dorset, East Dorset and North Dorset; Glastenbury; Landgrove, Clarksville; Manchester, Factory Point; Peru; Pownal, Pownal Centre, North Pownal; Readsborough, Readsboro' City, Hartwellville; Rupert, East Rupert, West Rupert; Sandgate, East Sandgate, West Sandgate; Searsburgh; Shaftsbury, South Shaftsbury; Stamford, Stamford Hollow; Sunderland, North Sunderland, Piety Hill, Mount Pleasant and Sunderland Borough; Winhall, Bondville; Woodford.
This county is famous as the home of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys and the site of the Bennington Battle of 1771 (the result of a land dispute between Vermont and New York). Prominent Bennington residents included Samuel Robinson, James Breakenridge, Seth Warner, Samuel Robinson and sons, John Fassett and son, Stephen Fay family, Isaac Tichenor, and son, Nathan Clark, Martin Scott and Hiland Hall.
Because the early history of Vermont is closely tied to this county, we have included additional excerpts pertaining to the Vermont-New York dispute. These excerpts are from the general history of Vermont section of the 1860 book cited above. (One gets the feeling from reading this that there really should have been 14 stripes in our flag!)
The WPA excerpts include a section on the historic shire town of Bennington, including points of interest: the Old Burying Ground, the Jedediah Dewey House, oldest frame house in the state, the First Congregational Church, site of Catamount Tavern, Bennington Battle Monument, etc. The other WPA excerpts, while out-of-date as a tour guide, remain a fascinating source of historical tidbits.
The booklet has a few illustrations, but their quality is only fair.
Wouldn't this make a unique gift?
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