Retired Nomads - Part 2 : Bridges of Bennington County & Bennington Monument

Bridges of Bennington County & Bennington Monument – Bennington, VT

We planned a more laidback day today. We drove to Vermont to visit 5 covered bridges and the Bennington Monument.

Our first stop was at the 88-foot-long Silk Bridge, a quintessential Vermont Covered Bridge. It’s a covered town lattice truss bridge that transports the Silk Road across the Walloomsac River and was built in 1840. The town lattice truss system features timber diagonals with no verticals.

Just a few minutes away we came to Paper Mill Village Bridge. The bridge here was built in 2000 to replace the original 1889 covered bridge built on this site by Charles F. Sears. The bridge is next to a former paper mill building, thus the name.

Our third stop was also just a short drive away for the Burt Henry Covered Bridge, Bennington’s oldest of its kind built in the late 1830s.

OK, so this is the third red bridge in a row. After some research I found that most covered bridges were painted red simply because iron ochre was an inexpensive paint pigment.

The next bridge was in Sunderland a short drive from Bennington. The 117-foot 1870 Chiselville Bridge was built across the Roaring Branch Brook at a cost of $2,307.31. Located high above the water, Chiselville Bridge, once known as High Bridge and it survived the flood of 1927 when many others did not. It was featured in the film “Baby Boom.”

The bridge has a cute sign which warns motorists that there is a one dollar fine for driving faster than a walk when crossing it.

Our last bridge was the 80-foot long West Arlington Bridge and it is one of Vermont's most photographed and painted covered bridges. It is also is one of the state's oldest original covered bridges and it spans the Battenkill River. Dating to 1852, the picturesque red bridge is located on the town green near the former home of painter Norman Rockwell, which is now the Norman Rockwell Studio and Inn. It is also known as the Arlington Green Covered Bridge. Still a red bridge, but the roof is green.

The Inn on Covered Bridge Green - for sale

Covered bridges were once known as "kissing bridges" because they provided a moment of privacy during the days of horse-and-buggy courtships.

We drove back to Bennington to have lunch at the Blue Benn Diner which is a Circa-1945 railcar with booths & jukeboxes. Besides the usual diner fare, they have a huge menu of all kinds of food, from cheesesteaks to enchiladas. You can’t go in and sit down until the booth is cleaned and set. Greg had a Reuben and the Russian dressing came in a refrigerator sized jar with a spoon. I had a grilled sandwich with Vermont Cabot Cheddar Cheese and ham. We ordered sweet potato fries which we would have skipped if we had known the sandwiches came with potato chips.

After lunch we drove to Bennington Centre Cemetery which is Vermont’s oldest cemetery started in 1762 . Frost's grave is near the back, in a newer section of the cemetery. Most are the 18th- and early 19th-century graves. We had never seen these tall upright thin gravestones before. Very interesting with their American Folk-Art carvings on the head stones. Many were barely readable with weather and time taking its toll while others were very clear.

the oldest grave belongs to Bridget Hardwood (1715 - 1762)

Frost family grave site

Frost family grave site - his was flush with the ground instead of being upright

Next to the cemetery sits The Old First Church. The present sanctuary, completed in 1805, is the first church built in Vermont that reflects the separation of church and state. Meaning the state would have no role in the maintenance of the church’s building or ministry; and the church would be free to support and direct its own work.

After touring the small church we stopped at the Bennington Battle Monument. This impressive 306 foot tall monument can be seen for miles around. It was built to commemorate the August 16, 1777, clash with British forces that marked a turning point in the Revolutionary War.

Benny - the Bennington Covered Bridge Moose

We had a beautiful clear day which made the views from the top spectacular. We could see three states from the observation floor. On the ground floor is a small museum dedicated to the Battle of Bennington. We walked around the grounds taking in the statues and also watching a lovely Goldfinch flying erratically and singing. Greg played it’s bird call and it kept coming closer to us looking for the bird making the sound.

North / Green Mountains

West New York

Mt. Greylock / Massachusetts

South View

East Vermont / Green Mountains

small museum inside the monument

General Burgoyne's Soup Kettle

Battle of Bennington

I'm the dot at the base of the monument

Col. Seth Warner

John Stark - Victor of the Battle at Bennington

American Goldfinch

After there we went to Billy T's Northside Dairy Bar for some ice cream. Here is a cute sign for a couple of their creations. No Unicorn Farts for us, just a couple of scoops of regular ice cream.

On the drive back to the hotel we stopped at a small wildlife viewing area. There wasn’t a lot going on there, but due to the clear sunny day the photos look brilliant. (almost fake)