The Bennington Battle Monument

The Bennington Battle Monument

• Vermont's Most Popular State Historic Site
• The Bennington Battle Monument is 306 feet 4 and 1/2 inches tall and was completed and dedicated in 1891. It is constructed from blue-grey magnesian limestone.
• The 306 foot monument features an observation deck with views of three states.

The Monument was built to commemorate the Battle of Bennington which occured on August 16, 1777, and is considered to be the turning point in the Revolutionary War. It is owned by the State of Vermont, and is supported by The Friends of the Monument, a non-profit volunteer group. A number of events are scheduled at the Monument each year, and the public is welcome.

About the Bennington Battle Monument

A group wishing to commemorate the Battle of Bennington decided a monument should be erected at the storage site of the military supplies which had been the objective of the battle. In 1876, the Vermont General Assembly passed an act establishing the Bennington Battle Monument Association as an outgrowth of the Bennington Historical Society. Even earlier, in 1854 (77 years following the Battle) the Legislature of Vermont had established and founded an Association to erect a monument; but because of difficulties in raising the needed additional money, the group disbanded after two years. This new organization, with the Nation's Centennial celebration behind them and with the approach of Vermont's Centennial in 1891, aggressively worked towards the erection of a suitable memorial.

The State of Vermont appropriated $15,000; New Hampshire $5,000; Massachusetts $10,000; the Congress of the United States $40,000; and with approximately $32,000 raised through private contributions, the amount of $102,000 was obtained to construct the memorial. In 1886, the Vermont Legislature authorized an additional $10,000 to purchase the property where the monument was to be erected. Meanwhile, the debate raged as to whether a sculptural or architectural monument should be constructed. After reviewing various proposals, the committee decided on the design submitted by John Phillipp Rinn, an architect from Boston. The contractor was William Ward of Lowell, Massachusetts.

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