Vermont’s tallest monument is a 306-foot stone tower you can see for miles: Officials say

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Old Bennington’s history reaches farther than you’d think
You can see it from miles away, rising above the trees in Vermont’s southwest corner like a stone finger pointing straight up. The Bennington Battle Monument stands 306 feet tall on a hilltop in Old Bennington, and it’s the largest man-made structure in the entire state. Around its base, a quiet historic village holds a white-steepled church from 1805, a cemetery with Revolutionary-era graves, and one very famous poet buried out back. You’ll want at least half a day here. Maybe more. Wikimedia Commons/King of Hearts
A stone tower taller than you expect
The obelisk climbs 306 feet, four and a half inches into the Vermont sky, which makes it the tallest structure in the state and the second-tallest unreinforced masonry structure in the country, behind only the Washington Monument. The stone is blue-grey magnesian limestone, quarried near Hudson Falls across the border in New York, and the years have given it a weathered, serious look against the surrounding Green Mountain hills. Two smooth horizontal bands break up the rough-faced stone near the top, where a bronze and gilt star caps the shaft. Wikimedia Commons/Famartin
The Revolutionary battle that made this monument necessary
On Aug. 16, 1777, American forces under General John Stark met British troops who had been sent to seize military supplies stored near Bennington. Stark’s men turned them back, and that victory helped set up the larger American win at Saratoga a few weeks later, a turning point that shifted the entire course of the Revolutionary War. More than a century passed before the nation formally marked the spot. The cornerstone went in the ground in 1887, and the finished monument was dedicated in 1891, with President Benjamin Harrison in attendance. Wikimedia Commons/Famartin
You can see Vermont, New York and Massachusetts from up here
An elevator carries you up to an observation level about 200 feet off the ground. Through slotted stone windows cut into the shaft, the Green Mountains run along one horizon and the Adirondacks line another. On a clear day, you’re looking into three states at once. The original 417 interior stairs are still there but no longer open to visitors, so the elevator is your way up. Worth knowing: elevator access has been affected by ongoing restoration work, so check ahead before you go. Wikimedia Commons/Famartin
A diorama, a captured kettle and the story of how it was built
Inside the base of the monument, a small exhibit space covers the battle and the region’s history. A detailed diorama recreates the fight in miniature so you can see exactly how the lines were drawn that August afternoon.

One of the display cases holds a kettle taken from British General Burgoyne’s camp at Saratoga, a quiet artifact that connects both battles. Nearby, a small exhibit walks through how the monument itself was designed and constructed. A gift shop with local souvenirs sits at the base before you head back outside. Wikimedia Commons/Joe Mabel
Statues of the men who held the line in 1777
The grounds around the monument are dotted with figures worth stopping to read about. A statue of General John Stark stands here, honoring the man who commanded the American forces that day. Another honors Colonel Seth Warner, one of the leaders of the Green Mountain Boys. The lawns around them are well kept and easy to walk, and together the figures give you a clear sense of who these men were and what they were defending. It’s a good slow stroll on a clear afternoon. Flickr/Dougtone
The bronze catamount that once warned off New Yorkers
A short walk down Monument Avenue, a large bronze catamount crouches on a granite base, mouth open, facing west. A catamount is an old New England name for a mountain lion, and this one marks the site of the Catamount Tavern, which stood here around 1769. That tavern was the headquarters of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, the group that planned the 1775 capture of Fort Ticonderoga from this very spot. The cat faces west on purpose. It was a warning to rival settlers pushing in from New York. Shutterstock
Monument Avenue’s two centuries of colonial homes
Monument Avenue climbs gently uphill through a district that looks like it hasn’t changed much in 200 years. The homes along the street date back to the 1700s and 1800s, most of them well preserved and quietly lived in. Stone markers placed at intervals point out sites connected to the Revolution, so the walk becomes its own small history lesson. The trees arch over the road and there’s almost no traffic. It’s the kind of street where you slow down without meaning to. Wikimedia Commons/Nheyob
Vermont’s oldest congregation built this white steeple in 1805
At the foot of the hill, the Old First Congregational Church stands with the kind of simple white elegance that New England does better than anywhere else. The building went up in 1805, but the congregation behind it dates to 1762, making it the oldest in Vermont.

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The tall steeple pulls your eye from a block away, and photographers show up year-round to frame it against the sky. Step inside if it’s open. The clean lines and wooden interior are worth a few minutes. Wikimedia Commons/Richard Avery
Robert Frost is buried behind the white church
Walk around to the back of the Old First Church and you’ll find Robert Frost’s grave among the Revolutionary-era headstones in the old churchyard. The Barre granite stone is cut with hand-carved laurel leaves, and his epitaph reads, “I had a lover’s quarrel with the world.” His wife Elinor rests beside him with a line from one of his poems on her stone. Signs in the well-kept yard help you find the site. It’s a quiet few minutes that tends to stay with you. Shutterstock
Governors, soldiers and two centuries of Vermont history underground
The churchyard holds more than Frost. Graves here go back to the 1700s, and several early Vermont governors are buried among them. A common grave holds soldiers who died from injuries sustained in the Battle of Bennington, the same fight the monument up the hill was built to honor. Many of the old headstones carry short epitaphs that are worth a slow read. The mountain views from the far edge of the cemetery frame the whole scene in a way that no brochure quite captures. Wikimedia Commons/Daderot
Grandma Moses paintings and Bennington pottery down the hill
A short walk or drive from the monument brings you to the Bennington Museum, which holds the largest public collection of Grandma Moses paintings anywhere. Moses was a self-taught folk artist who painted rural New England scenes, and her work fills the galleries in a way that makes the surrounding hills look familiar. The museum also displays classic 19th-century Bennington pottery, pieces fired right here in the region, and adds more artifacts from the Battle of Bennington to everything else you’ve already seen up the hill. Wikimedia Commons/Quintin Soloviev
Visit the Bennington Battle Monument in Vermont
You can start your visit at 15 Monument Circle in Old Bennington, Vermont, where the monument grounds, ground-floor exhibits and gift shop open seasonally from roughly mid-May through October. There’s a small fee to ride the elevator to the observation level, but the grounds around the monument, Monument Avenue, the Old First Church and the cemetery are all free to walk. Because elevator access has been affected by ongoing restoration, check the official website before you go to confirm what’s open. This article was created with AI assistance and human editing. Read more from this brand:

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The post Vermont’s tallest monument is a 306-foot stone tower you can see for miles appeared first on When In Your State.