Autumn 2008
Road Trip: Highways to History
Take a ramble through southwest Vermont, and experience the drama of the American Revolution (or just enjoy the ride)
By Tom Slayton
All of Vermont is rich in history. But the state's southwestern counties may be richer than most. Along with the Champlain Valley, they can lay claim to the most dramatic episode in the history of Vermont — the founding of the state and its heroic participation in the American Revolution.
This is the story of Vermont's creation. It features larger-than-life characters like Ethan Allen, Seth Warner, British Gen. John Burgoyne, and others, involved in events that shaped the emerging American nation and helped defeat the most powerful military force of its day, the much-feared army of Great Britain.
Vermont Life has designed a highway tour that will bring you to the most important sites in that 18th-century drama — plus show you some of Vermont's fascinating 19th- and 20th-century history as well. It begins in Old Bennington, near the junction of Routes 9 and 7, and wends its way northward, with stops at four state historic sites, plus several villages and other places of interest.
We will travel entirely on state and federal numbered highways, and will go through some of Vermont's most scenic areas — places that will delight you with their beauty, even as they enrich you with the depth of the history found there. There are modest entrance fees at most of the stops. You can drive this trip in one day, if you move right along, but our advice is to take two or three days, and see much more along the way.
So make your way to Old Bennington, on Route 9, a little over a mile west of modern-day downtown Bennington, and we'll get started.Old Bennington/Bennington Battle Monument
You could make a convincing case that Old Bennington is Vermont's most historic community.
This was the place where the idea of Vermont was first discussed and argued over drinks and food at the Catamount Tavern by Ethan and Ira Allen and their compatriots — who would later be known to history as the Green Mountain Boys. At the time, the authorities in nearby New York State had another name for them. They were called "The Bennington Mob," and there was a price on Ethan's head because he resisted New York's authority over the lands that would later become Vermont.
It's a pristine and quiet little village now. The Catamount Tavern is long gone, but its location is marked by a state historic marker. The ancient (and closed) Walloomsac Inn is quietly decaying on one corner, while across busy Route 9 stands one of Vermont's most beautiful churches, Old First Church, and its historic graveyard. Some of the dead from the Battle of Bennington are buried here, along with Vermont poet Robert Frost and many others. The church is still active and regular services are held there.
Just down the hill, toward Bennington's downtown, is the Bennington Museum, which boasts a fine collection of Americana, pottery and paintings by Grandma Moses, who lived just across the border in upstate New York. The state border is a couple of miles west on Route 9, and as any Vermont schoolchild can tell you, that's where the Battle of Bennington took place — near Walloomsac Heights in what is now New York.
In 1777, Bennington was the largest settlement in the area, and the reason for the battle — a store of ammunition and supplies that the British desperately wanted — was located atop a hill in Old Bennington. Today, if you follow Monument Avenue to the north, you'll drive up that hill and arrive at the tallest structure in Vermont, the Bennington Battle Monument.The monument, a State Historic Site, is a 306-foot-tall sandstone obelisk that was completed in 1891. You can, if you choose, go to the observation floor, about two-thirds of the way up the great stone structure, and get a view of the surrounding countryside. On the grounds there are two statues (one granite, one bronze) of Gen. John Stark, who commanded the Colonial forces on Aug. 16, 1777, and resoundingly whipped the British, denying them the supplies they sought and contributing to the ultimate American victory at Saratoga a few weeks later. There's a gift shop nearby with books and merchandise related to the battle and the monument.
It's a pretty spot to be any time of year, and a good place to reflect on the beginnings of both Vermont and the United States.
North Bennington, Shaftsbury, Arlington
From Old Bennington, go east on Route 9 to the intersection with Route 7, where you should turn north (left) and follow Route 7 and then 7A until you reach its junction with state Route 67. Take a left here and follow 67 to the village of North Bennington. If you have time, there are at least three covered bridges located just off Route 67. The prettiest of these is the Henry Bridge, located where River Road crosses the Walloomsac River.
As you enter North Bennington, you'll see evidence of its past as a mill and manufacturing town. The long, multiwindowed mill building on your right is today used for artists' studios and offices. On a slight hill overlooking the center of town is the Park-McCullough House, a historic 35-room Victorian mansion built by railroad magnate Trenor Park in 1865. It is open daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., mid-May through October. Across the street, the large-columned building is Powers Market, where groceries, snacks and other items may be purchased.
Continue north on Route 67, which will bring you back to Route 7A in South Shaftsbury. Continue north about a mile and you will see the Robert Frost Stone House Museum on your left. It is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., May through November. Frost wrote some of his most characteristic poetry when he lived here in the early 1920s, including the famous "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening."
Back on Route 7A, head north to the historic village of Arlington. There's a historic marker in front of the home of writer Dorothy Canfield Fisher, and a privately run gallery in the center of town dedicated to another famous 20th-century resident of Arlington, the artist Norman Rockwell.
It's worth taking the time for a side trip to West Arlington, one of the most picturesque places in Vermont. It's located on Route 313, which goes west from Arlington village, following the Batten Kill for seven miles through rolling farmland. West Arlington is little more than a church, a covered bridge and a few houses, but it is a lovely and much-photographed place. The house just beyond the green was Rockwell's home while he lived in Vermont and is today a comfortable country inn.
Back in Arlington, follow Route 7A some 10 miles north to Manchester.Manchester, The Equinox and Hildene
You could easily spend a day or more in Manchester alone. The must-see attraction here is the Lincoln family home, Hildene. You'll see the entry drive on your right as you enter Manchester Village from the south on 7A. Hildene was built in 1905 for Robert Todd Lincoln (the only surviving son of President Abraham Lincoln), who became wealthy and successful as head of the Pullman Palace Car Company. The house and grounds are spectacular and include both formal gardens and, more recently, a small farming operation with educational programs for children. There is a wide variety of programs, tours and attractions. Open daily, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Manchester Village is relatively quiet, an array of elegant homes with The Equinox, a rambling, white-columned historic hotel, recently renovated as a very high-end resort, at its center. Manchester Center, a bit farther on, is a busy, commercial mélange of outlet shops and stores. The American Museum of Fly Fishing is located roughly midway between the two villages.
Turn northeast (left) on Route 30 as you leave Manchester Center and follow this two-lane road as it winds through ever more rural Vermont countryside to a series of small villages: tony, white-clapboarded Dorset with its elegant green and Peltier's well-appointed general store; the farming community of Pawlet; and, eventually, pretty Lake St. Catherine and historic Poultney, where 19th-century editor and activist Horace Greeley grew up. For much of this leg of the tour, you'll be in the beautiful Mettawee Valley, where dairy farming remains important and the farmed landscape looks much as it did a century ago.
Side visits to the pretty village of East Poultney and the little college town of Castleton are options here, but our tour will continue north to the Hubbardton Battlefield.
Hubbardton Battlefield
When Route 30 comes to the crossroads of Castleton Corners, turn right (east) onto Route 4A, and drive approximately two miles to the East Hubbardton Road (it is unnumbered, but clearly marked as the route to the Hubbardton Battlefield). Turn left (north) and drive about seven miles to the top of the open hill where the battle took place. (En route, the East Hubbardton Road becomes Monument Hill Road.)
Hubbardton was the only battle fought on what is today Vermont soil, and was an important clash, a rear-guard action that Col. Seth Warner and his troops fought against British regulars who had been pursuing them after the fall of Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence in July of 1777.
More than 2,100 troops were involved on both sides, and the battle was a bloody one — some 27 percent of those involved were casualties. Warner and his troops lost, and melted away into the surrounding forest. But they bought valuable time for American forces to regroup and prepare for further fighting at Bennington and Saratoga.
Today, the battlefield is a State Historic Site. There's a visitors center at the battlefield with information, an interpretative exhibit, a diorama and public amenities. It is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., May through mid-October. The Hubbardton Battlefield is regarded as one of the best preserved historic battlefields in America.
Continue north and west on Monument Hill Road, which will bring you back to Route 30. Turn right (north) and continue for about 12 miles to the junction with Route 73, a left-hand turn that will lead you west to the lovely little village of Orwell.
Mount Independence
Orwell is located in the midst of several thousand acres of Lake Champlain Valley farmland. It is an attractive village, with a historic church, a tiny bank and a good general store. However, we are headed west, to one of the least-known, but most important sites of the Revolutionary War.
That would be Mount Independence, a hilly peninsula that juts into Lake Champlain from the Vermont shore, right opposite New York's Fort Ticonderoga. To get to the Mount, follow Route 73 to its junction with Route 22A, cross 22A on 73, then bear left onto Mount Independence Road, which is well signed. Stay on the main-traveled road, which turns to gravel, but reaches the Mount, which is a State Historic Site, in about six miles.
Near the entrance to the park is a museum (shaped like a boat!) with exhibits about the strategic importance of Lake Champlain and the fortifications built by Colonial soldiers in 1776.
Mount Independence helped stop a British advance down the lake in the fall of 1776 and slowed the British advance in 1777. The fort capitulated to the British on July 6, 1777, and the American forces withdrew, marching south toward Hubbardton and Bennington.
Stop at the museum to purchase tickets and view the exhibits, but be sure to ask for a trail map. The real way to see Mount Independence is on foot. There are some six miles of trails for all levels of ability, including some new trails for people with disabilities.
A half day spent here will help you understand the strategy of the early years of the American Revolution, including the critical Saratoga campaign of 1777, in which Mount Independence played such an important role. It's a good spot to contemplate the historic past of Lake Champlain and plan future explorations into the fascinating world of Vermont's past. A
Connect Vermont
A new way to travelAnyone planning a road trip to Vermont should know about "Connect Vermont," a comprehensive travel-information system that makes travel here easier, and at times, safer.
The mission of the system is simple: to provide comprehensive information for all travelers. Because it's a cooperative program that draws on the expertise of nine official state agencies, it includes informational websites, low-power FM stations that offer travel information, changeable-message road signs, and highway sensors that deliver weather information.
"Connect Vermont" is based on a database of tourist attractions, restaurants, lodging establishments and other businesses. Because it is interactive, travelers can research and draw up their own travel itinerary, make dining and lodging reservations, even check on current weather conditions before starting out.
The program is federally funded through a project called Intelligent Transportation Systems, whose basic aim is to move people and goods more safely and efficiently across roads, highways and bridges.
For travel features, suggestions of places to go, festivals and other activities across Vermont, plus a complete and regularly updated calendar of events, visit either www.VermontVacation.com or www.ThinkVermont.com.
Are you more of a phone person? Simply dial 511 on your cell while traveling in Vermont and you will be connected to the Vermont Call Center where an operator will respond to any questions you may have.
To access the Connect
Vermont system, go to:
www.VermontVacation.com www.ThinkVermont.com
Telephone access: 511
Low-power FM stations are located at 100.1-FM in
Randolph and 98.3-FM
in Derby.
