For Immediate Release
August 10, 2023
Free Admission to State Historic Sites on Bennington Battle Day
MONTPELIER, Vt. – Bennington Battle Day, a recognized Vermont State Holiday, honors the historic victory of colonial forces over the British on August 16, 1777. Vermont State Historic Sites will be free to the public on Wednesday, August 16 to celebrate the 246th anniversary of this significant event in American history.
After a day of non-stop rain, the American forces lead by Gen. John Stark and Col. Seth Warner defeated the British and German troops desperately trying to capture much needed provisions from the colonial arsenal in Bennington. The Battle of Bennington, fought in Walloomsac, New York, about 10 miles from Bennington on August 16, 1777, was the precursor to the defeat of British Gen. John Burgoyne’s army two months later at Saratoga, turning the tide of war in favor of the Americans. The 306-foot-tall Bennington Battle Monument, the tallest unreinforced masonry building in Vermont, was dedicated in 1891 to mark the site of that colonial arsenal.
Two other Vermont State Historic Sites open to the public were integral to American Revolutionary War history: Mount Independence in Orwell is one of the most intact Revolutionary War sites in America, and the Hubbardton Battlefield in Hubbardton preserves the location of the only Revolutionary battle fought in what would become Vermont.
Other Vermont State Historic Sites open for Bennington Battle Day with free admission include Chimney Point in Addison, President Chester A. Arthur site in Fairfield, and President Calvin Coolidge site in Plymouth Notch. The Senator Justin Morrill Historic Site in Strafford remains closed. For further information and hours of operations, please visit the State Historic Sites website.
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