Bennington (Vermont)

Bennington
Scene in the listed city center
Location in Vermont
Bennington
Basic data
Foundation :	January 3, 1749
State :	United States
State :	Vermont
County :	Bennington County
Coordinates :	42 ° 53 ′  N , 73 ° 13 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 53 ′  N , 73 ° 13 ′  W
Time zone :	Eastern ( UTC − 5 / −4 )
Residents :	15,764 (as of 2010)
Population density :	144.1 inhabitants per km 2
Area :	110.1 km 2  (approx. 43 mi 2 ) of which 109.4 km 2  (approx. 42 mi 2 ) is land
Height :	246 m
Postal code :	05201
Area code :	+1 802
FIPS :	50-04825
GNIS ID :	1462039
Website :	www.TownOfBennington.org
Bennington about 1887

Bennington is a town in Bennington County of the state of Vermont in the United States with 15,764 inhabitants (according to the 2010 census). Bennington is together with Manchester the administrative center ( Shire Town ) of the county.

geography

Geographical location

The village is located in the transition area between the Green Mountains in the north and east and the Berkshire Mountains in the south and is traversed by the Waloomsac River . The main settlement Bennington lies in a valley of the Waloomsac and is traversed by it; a little to the north-west is the second settlement core North Bennington with Bennington College, also on Waloomsac. The areas east of the main settlement are mountainous and unsuitable for agricultural use, to the west the heights run out into the plains towards the Hudson River and the area is equipped with better-to-use soils. The highest point is the 715 m high Mount Anthony .

Neighboring communities

All distances are given as straight lines between the official coordinates of the places from the 2010 census.

• North: Shaftsbury 1.9 mi
• Northeast: Glastenbury , 9.7 mi
• East: Woodford , 9.3 miles
• Southeast: Stamford , 9.4 mi
• South: Pownal , 3.2 km
• Southwest: Petersburgh, New York , 8.2 mi
• West: Hoosick, New York , 9.7 miles
• Northwest: Cambridge, New York , 16.3 mi

Note: Stamford and Bennington do not share a common border, but are the closest parishes in that direction.

City structure

In the area of ​​the town there are the two villages North Bennington and Old Bennington . Another residential area is located downtown at the intersection of Main Street and South Street, US Highway 7 . All core areas of the three settlement areas are listed as Historic Districts on the National Register of Historic Places and belong to the historically significant districts of the state.

climate

North Bennington
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.     71   1 -11     56   2 -9     81   7th -5     84   14th 1     94   19th 6th     104   24 11     109   26th 14th     102   25th 13     91   21st 9     94   15th 2     79   9 -1     71   2 -7 Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm Source: www.weatherbase.com

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for North Bennington Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 0.7 1.5 6.6 13.7 19.4 23.9 26.3 25.4 21.3 14.8 8.6 2.1 O 13.7 Min. Temperature (° C) −11.3 −9.3 −5.2 1.3 6.3 11.3 13.9 12.9 8.6 2.4 −1.3 −6.9 O 1.9 Precipitation ( mm ) 71.1 55.9 81.3 83.8 94.0 104.1 109.2 101.6 91.4 94.0 78.7 71.1 Σ 1,036.2 Source: www.weatherbase.com

The mean average temperature in Bennington is between -6.1 ° C (21 ° F ) in January and 20.1 ° C (68 ° F) in July. This means that the place is around 8 ° C cooler compared to the long-term mean in the USA, but almost 2 ° C warmer than the Vermont mean. The daily sunshine duration is at the lower end of the range in the USA.

history

colonization

The area of ​​what is now Vermont was settled from two sides during the initial colonization of America. On the one hand, settlers came from the east coast, who relocated to the west from the "overcrowded" coastal areas of New England and came across the Green Mountains. The mountain ranges, the heartland of the later Vermont, were initially bypassed. The settlers cleared the southern edge of the mountain range and established new settlements in Massachusetts . In the west, the British settlers pushed north across the Hudson River and settled on the fertile plains between the Green Mountains and the Great Lakes. From the north, the French advanced from what is now Canada into the area around Lake Champlain .

A first call for settlement was made on June 15, 1739 by the colony of New York: Wallum's patent , also called Wallumsheik , included, among other things, part of what was later to become Bennington. New York saw itself as the owner of the land because when it was proclaimed, the areas north of the Massachusetts border to the west bank of the Connecticut River, i.e. today's Vermont, had been included. However, the areas were not initially settled; the situation in the area was too unsafe.

On January 3, 1749, Benning Wentworth , the governor of the colony of New Hampshire , called Benningtons area again for settlement and sold it to 62 interested parties. Wentworth interpreted the demarcation of his colony in such a way that he had to keep a distance of 20 miles to the Hudson River, so that the Green Mountains belonged to his area. Since the area beyond the mountains seemed to be fertile, he called out his first grant there: Bennington. It covered a 6-mile square, 6 miles north of the Massachusetts border, 20 miles east of the Hudson River. The land buyers, primarily from Portsmouth, New Hampshire , were speculators; none of them can be found among the names of the later settlers. The land was measured and divided on their behalf that same summer. Due to the military uncertainty in the settlement area, there was no settlement here either.

Only after the British victory over the French troops in Canada in the winter of 1759/1760 did the situation solidify. In the spring of 1761 the first settlers began to reclaim the area. The Grant was far from any settlements; only two small forts - East Hoosic (about 2 km from North Adams, Massachusetts ) and West Hoosic (on what is now Williamstown) - protected the settlers in their immediate vicinity. There were also some Dutch settler families in the west, along the Hoosic River , up to the height of today's Pownal. In the fall of 1761, another 30 to 40 families from Massachusetts ( Hardwick and Amherst are known as places of origin ) moved into their parcels. They were guided by the measurements based on the New Hampshire Grant. Due to the largely lacking connections to settlements that had already been established - roads and bridges first had to be built - the settlers were largely left to fend for themselves.

On January 12th, 1762 the first birth took place in the new settlement, on March 31st, 1762 there was a first city assembly, at which the administration of the village was organized. In September of the same year, the first hydropower-powered grain mill and sawmill, the “Safford Mills”, went into operation in the east of the town - important foundations for further settlement.

Bennington in the conflict between New Hampshire and New York

Between the colonies of New Hampshire and New York there had been a dispute over the legality of the land sales by Wentworth in the meantime, in the course of which Wentworth passed the English King George III. had asked for a decision. This decision was made on July 26, 1764 in New York's favor; New Hampshire's western border was pinned on the east bank of the Connecticut River. As a result, New York revoked the settlers' New Hampshire patents if they were not paid again to New York and sold unpaid grants to new settlers.

Bennington became the main place of resistance. The biggest point of contention was the grant through New York that took place earlier but was used later. The settlers rigorously denied the legitimacy of the New York claims; for example, all of the notices that have been handed down to town assemblies up to December 1769 are headed with “Province of NH”, then with “Town of Bennington” until the Vermont Republic is founded.

Around 1765 there were about 1000 settlers in the Bennington area and the same number in the two neighboring towns of Pownal and Sheffield, which had been established in the meantime. Between 1765 and 1773 there were several attempts by New York settlers to enforce their own rights on areas that were already populated. This was always physically prevented and increased the aggressiveness with which both sides faced each other considerably. Arrests by the sheriff in charge have been classified as kidnappings by the New Hampshire settlers. In July 1770, the competent court in Albany approved the settlers of the New York colony and declared the "old patent" to be effective. This led to civil war-like unrest; both sides set up paramilitary militias. The New York troops were known as "The Posse", the settlers' militia as the Green Mountain Boys . Both groups engaged in fights with dead and injured in Bennington and the adjacent areas, without any change in the basic situation could be achieved.

Revolutionary War, Vermont Republic and the United States

The dawn of the War of Independence took much of the severity of the conflict; the soldiers and militias were needed elsewhere. Bennington became an equipment base for the American Army because of its advanced position. This was the occasion for the advance of a British army into the vicinity of Bennington, but they were stopped by an American army and with the support of the Green Mountain Boys on August 16, 1777 at the Battle of Bennington . The American troops had previously been concentrated here at Bennington.

After the American victory in the Revolutionary War and the establishment of the Vermont Republic , which was not recognized by the state of New York, the activity of the settlers turned back to the development of their territories and their own administration. In 1779 Bennington was together with Manchester the administrative seat of the newly created Bennington County. Bennington was the location of the county court and jail.

In 1791 the conflict over power in the Green Mountains was finally settled in favor of the Vermonters and the Vermont Republic joined the Federation under the name Vermont as the 14th state.

It gets quiet - the development up to the present

The history of the Town of Bennington developed considerably more slowly after the first 30 years. By using it as a military base, Bennington was automatically the most important trading and training center in the area, which in turn led to a rapid increase in its population.

In 1854, the city was connected by the North Bennington – Chatham railway to the railway system between the east coast with its metropolitan area of ​​Boston and the vast country around the Great Lakes. This again led to an increase in the variety of dealers due to the strong expansion of the market. In contrast to many smaller, purely agricultural towns in Vermont, there was neither a migration to the larger metropolitan areas of New York and Boston, nor to the new, agriculturally promising new settlements in the west.

The American Civil War did not touch the Vermont lands through battles and skirmishes; however, soldiers were also recruited here. Prior to the mobilization of 1863, many Bennington residents committed themselves to military service for between nine months and three years, of which about a fifth died in combat or in hospital, and many more returned home injured or maimed.

Even less did the First World War , the Great Depression , the New Deal and the Second World War affect the fortunes of the citizens of Bennington. Apart from individual, sometimes dramatic fates, Bennington acted with the surrounding communities and states and thereby achieved great stability in his development, which can also be clearly seen in the population figures. The economic data of the population censuses also show a continuous, calm economic development. The closure of the railway line to Chatham for passenger traffic in 1953, and temporarily also for freight traffic, which has since resumed, were offset by the improvement of road connections.

Religions

The first settlers in Bennington were Congregationalists , and shortly after the settlement began, on December 2, 1762, the first corresponding church congregation was established. However, the parishioners called themselves “separatists” for some time because they did not fully adopt all parts of the creed. In the fall of 1763 a first Reverend was employed in the parish; it was at a request from the faithful in Westfield, Mass. been sent here. A first Meeting House of the Town has been built around 1764, 1804 was another that was open to all denominations for more than 30 years.

When it was founded, Congregationalists were almost exclusively settled in Bennington, because it was tradition that potential new settlers were first invited to Samuel Robinson, the head of the community, and asked about their religious views. If they did not agree with his ideas, he convinced them to settle in the neighboring town of Shaftsbury , where, like Bennington, he was one of the great landowners.

Today Bennington is home to a variety of religious denominations: two Roman Catholic churches , two congregations of the United Church of Christ , as well as branches of the Assemblies of God , the Baptists , the Anglicans , the Episcopals , the Unitarians and the Methodists . A Mosaic congregation has also settled. A congregational congregation, however, is no longer listed.

Population development

Census Results - Town of Bennington, Vermont
year	1700	1710	1720	1730	1740	1750	1760	1770	1780	1790
Residents										2377
year	1800	1810	1820	1830	1840	1850	1860	1870	1880	1890
Residents	2243	2524	2485	3419	3429	3932	4389	5760	6333	6391
year	1900	1910	1920	1930	1940	1950	1960	1970	1980	1990
Residents	8033	8698	9982	10,628	11,257	12,411	13.002	14,586	15,815	16,451
year	2000	2010	2020	2030	2040	2050	2060	2070	2080	2090
Residents	15,737	15,764

Culture and sights

Museums

Founded in 1852, the Bennington Museum not only collects relics from the colonial days and the Battle of Bennington, but also has a large art collection by Vermont visual artists.

Buildings

The Bennington Battle Monument, a 103 meter high obelisk, stands on a hill in the village. A small exhibition on the historical background of the battle can also be viewed on the ground floor. An elevator takes visitors to a viewing platform in the obelisk, from which one can see the neighboring states of New York and Massachusetts .

Regular events

Bennington hosts a large number of regular events, most of which pertain to general city marketing and tourist promotion. Traditional events include three main parades: St. Patrick's Day Parade in March, Memorial Day Parade in May, and Bennington Battle Day Parade in August. One of the popular rural celebrations in Vermont is the Garlic and Herb Festival . The Winter Festival on Lake Paran in North Bennington uses its proceeds to support Vermont Olympians.

Economy and Infrastructure

traffic

Bennington is connected to the American system of expressways by the junction of US Highway 7 (in north-south direction) and Vermont State Route 9 (in east-west direction) in the capital Bennington. In addition, there is a local airport, the William H. Morse State Airport, a few kilometers west of New York.

Passenger trains have not stopped in Bennington since 1953; Freight traffic is possible from North Bennington station. The city passage through Bennington to the south has not been passable since 2000.

media

A daily newspaper with a circulation of 7800 copies appears in Bennington, the Bennington Banner . There are no local TV stations, but there are several local radio stations. An additional radio station broadcasts from nearby Manchester.

Public facilities

The hospital for Bennington and the neighboring communities, the Southwestern Medical Center , with 99 beds is located in the capital North Bennington. In addition to the usual facilities, it includes a rehabilitation center for heart diseases with 150 beds and the regional cancer center. It is the medical center for 55,000 people.

education

Bennington belongs to the Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union with North Bennington, Pownal, Shaftsbury and Woodford .

There are four elementary schools in Bennington, supplemented by a middle and high school. The offer is expanded by two vocational schools. The Bennington College in North Bennington provides advanced training in various artistic professions and z. Taught some famous artists from literature, sculpture and painting. At Southern Vermont College near Southwestern Medical Center, however, the training of medical professionals is carried out.

Personalities

sons and daughters of the town

• Hiland Hall (1795–1885), politician and Vermont representative in the US House of Representatives
• David S. Walbridge (1802–1868), politician and representative of the State of Michigan in the US House of Representatives
• John S. Robinson (1804–1860), politician and governor of Vermont
• Henry Squires (1825-1907), singer
• James Fisk (1834–1872), entrepreneur and speculator
• Herbert William Heinrich (1886–1962), pioneer of industrial safety at work
• Howard E. Armstrong (1903-1983), lawyer and politician, Secretary of State of Vermont was
• Carleton Carpenter (born 1926), actor, singer, songwriter and author
• Stephen Rallis (1942–2012), mathematician
• Cynthia Gibb (born 1963), actress
• Ross Powers (* 1979), snowboarder and Olympic champion
• Andrew Newell (* 1983), cross-country skier

Personalities who have worked on site

• Ethan Allen (1737 / 1738–1789), politician and military leader in the War of Independence
• Moses Robinson (1741–1813), politician, governor of the Vermont Republic and representative of the state of Vermont in the US Senate
• Joseph Fay (1753-1803), politician, Colonel of Militia and businessman Vermont Secretary of State was
• Isaac Tichenor (1754–1838), politician, representative of the Vermont Republic in the Continental Congress and governor of the Vermont Republic
• Jonathan Robinson (1756–1819) politician and Vermont representative in the US Senate

For a list of well-known Bennington College faculty and alumni, see there.

literature

• Zadock Thompson: History of Vermont, natural, civil and statistical, in three parts . 3rd volume. Chauncey Goodrich, Burlington 1842, p. 13 ff . ( limited preview in Google Book search).
• Abby Maria Hemenway: The Vermont historical Gazetteer . 1st volume. Burlington 1867, p. 138 ff .

Web links

Commons : Bennington  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Homepage of the municipality (English)
• Profile of the municipality on the official portal www.Vermont.gov
• Chamber of Commerce homepage
• Bennington Museum homepage
• Entry on VirtualVermont (English) ( Memento from March 17, 2016 in the Internet Archive )

Individual evidence

1. ^ Bennington in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey , accessed October 1, 2014
2. ↑ Population data from the 2010 US Census in the American Factfinder
3. ↑ Mount Anthony on Peakery.com , accessed July 4, 2017
4. ↑ Coordinates of the locations of the Census Authority 2010
5. ↑ Asset Detail. In: nps.gov. npgallery.nps.gov, accessed on August 26, 2017 . 
6. ↑ Asset Detail. In: nps.gov. npgallery.nps.gov, accessed on August 26, 2017 . 
7. ↑ Asset Detail. In: nps.gov. npgallery.nps.gov, accessed on August 26, 2017 . 
8. ↑ temperatures at www.City-Data.com (English)
9. ^ Zadock Thompson: History of Vermont, natural, civil and statistical, in three parts . 3rd volume. Chauncey Goodrich, Burlington 1842, p. 18 f ( limited preview in Google Book search).
10. ↑ Population 1790–2010 according to the census results
11. ↑ self-disclosure on the website of Bennington Banner (English)
12. ^ Self-reported information on the hospital's homepage (English); Retrieved on October 1, 2014 ( Memento of the original from December 20, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
13. ^ Southwest VT Supervisory Union. In: google.com. sites.google.com, accessed July 27, 2017 .