Bennington Battle Monument
15 Monument Circle
Bennington, VT
A 306-foot limestone obelisk, the tallest structure in Vermont, with an elevator to an observation deck that looks across Vermont, New York, and Massachusetts.
Rising 306 feet over the hilltop village of Old Bennington, this blue-gray limestone obelisk is the tallest human-made structure in Vermont, taller than anything in the state's cities. It was dedicated in 1891 to mark the Battle of Bennington, a Revolutionary War fight in August 1777 that historians count among the turning points on the road to American independence.
There is a good twist in the story: the battle was not fought in Bennington, or even in Vermont. The fighting took place a few miles west, across what is now the New York line. The monument stands in Bennington because that is where the American supplies the British were marching to seize had been stored.
What Guests Love
- Riding the elevator up the obelisk to a three-state view
- The sheer scale of the tower rising over the village of Old Bennington
- Learning that the battle it commemorates was actually fought across the line in New York
- Pairing the monument with the nearby colonial burying ground and the Bennington Museum
Worth Knowing
- An elevator carries visitors most of the way up to the enclosed observation level; you do not climb the whole way on foot
- The monument is open seasonally, generally from spring through late autumn, so check dates before visiting
- There is a modest admission fee to ride to the top
- The grounds and the view from the base are free to enjoy year-round
Details
Bennington, VT
Learn about Bennington Battle Monument
The battle behind the tower
In the summer of 1777 a British army under General Burgoyne was pushing south from Canada, and a detachment set out to capture a supply depot at Bennington. American militia under General John Stark met them first, on August 16, on high ground west of town. Stark's forces, joined by Green Mountain Boys and militia from across New England, overwhelmed the raiders.
The victory cost Burgoyne badly needed men and supplies and helped set up his surrender at Saratoga that autumn, a defeat that convinced France to enter the war on the American side. That chain of consequences is why a small battle at a supply depot earned a monument the size of a skyscraper.
Building the obelisk
The monument was raised in the 1880s from magnesian limestone quarried in New York and floated and hauled to the site, then dedicated in 1891 in a ceremony that drew the president of the United States. Its Egyptian-inspired obelisk form was a popular nineteenth-century choice for grand memorials, the same shape as the Washington Monument.
Inside, the tower is hollow, and a stairway once let visitors climb to the observation windows near the top. Today an elevator does most of the work, lifting travelers to an enclosed lookout with windows facing all four directions.
The view and the village
From the observation level the land opens out across three states: the Green Mountains of Vermont, the Taconic hills of New York, and the Berkshires of Massachusetts, with the village and its white church steeples laid out below. On a clear day it is one of the great long views in southern New England.
The monument anchors Old Bennington, a preserved colonial settlement of Federal-era homes around a common. Nearby, the Old First Church burying ground holds the grave of the poet Robert Frost, who asked to be remembered with the epitaph that he had a lover's quarrel with the world.
Season by season
The monument opens in spring and runs through the fall foliage season, its busiest stretch, when the three-state view blazes with color and the tower draws leaf-peepers off the nearby scenic roads.
Summer brings steady visitors and comfortable days for the climb to the elevator. In winter the tower closes, but the grounds and the surrounding historic village remain a quiet, handsome place to walk.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Bennington
Bennington Museum
About 1 mile, a 4 minute drive
Home to the largest public collection of Grandma Moses paintings, along with Bennington pottery and regional history.
Old First Church and burying ground
About half a mile
A 1805 meetinghouse whose graveyard holds the poet Robert Frost and many of the Bennington battle dead.
Downtown Bennington
About 1 mile, a 4 minute drive
A working downtown with shops, restaurants, and a covered-bridge cluster on the outskirts of town.