We enjoyed finding all the covered bridges and historic homes in Bennington, Vermont
We thought this house was condemned. It was oddly beautiful and would make a great haunted house. Then we saw people sitting on the front porch. Whoops.
Pine Hollow Campground
They are located about 10 miles south of Bennington, Vermont. There is a spring fed pond that is stocked with trout. Tall pine trees surround the property. The packed gravel pads are surrounded by grass. Pedestal power and water pressure were great. Cable was a little grainy, but watchable. Wifi was very good. Download speed of 15 Mbps and upload of 8 Mbps. Good enough to stream Netflix. Verizon signal was one bar at best, often it was 3g. There was a pair of Canadian Geese with babies that would visit the pond.
Our site was huge and private. Jake loved the grassy area. They just opened a couple of weeks before and had been working hard on getting all the debris picked up and ready for the summer season. Their fountain and bath house were not working yet, hopefully in a week for Memorial day weekend.
Covered Bridges
Vermont has an incredible number of covered bridges. Its fun looking for them. Because of poor Verizon signal it’s difficult to use Maps. Therefore, old school compass and a map. A covered bridge is a timber truss bridge with a roof and siding. The purpose of the covered bridge is to protect the wooden structure from the weather. Because of rain and snow, an uncovered wooden bridge only had a lifespan of 10 to 15 years. The ones we saw are still in use, single lane, and painted red.
Henry Covered Bridge
The original Henry Covered Bridge was built in 1840. The bridge is supported by Town lattice trusses, a design patented in 1820 by a Connecticut architect. There was a succession of water powered mills next to the bridge. The last was a grist mill operated in the 1920’s by Bertine Henry, one of the descendants of the Irish-born William Henry. The latest revision was in 1989 by the State of Vermont.
Paper Mill Village Bridge
There was a natural waterfall at this location. Dams were created in 1784 and 1889 to provide power to various industries including a paper mill until about 1958. This was one of Vermonts first paper mills and may have been the source for the paper to write Vermont’s constitution in 1791. Work is underway to convert the dam to a hydroelectric power plant which could produce enough electicity for 240 homes in the area.
Silk Covered Bridge
The bridge was built in 1840 and is a 88 foot town lattice truss over the Waloomsac River in West Bennington.
West Arlington Bridge
This is one of Vermont’s most photographed and painted covered bridges. It dates back to 1852 and is located near the former home of painter Norman Rockwell.
Battle of Bennington Monument
The monument is in Bennington, Vermont. During the American Revolutionary War, British troops advanced from Canada towards Albany, New York. The British did not expect resistance. They were far removed from their supplies in Canada and decided to capture the supply depot in Bennington. Fighting took place on August 16, 1777. After 2 hours of fighting, the British troops retreated. Later, and with the help of American troops from New Hampshire, the British troops retreated to Canada. The monument was completed in 1891 as part of the celebrations marking the centennial of Vermont’s statehood.
The views from the observation deck were incredible.
There are 417 stairs. In 1956 the first elevator was installed. The stone used is Sandy Hill dolomite: a blue-gray magnesian limestone from New York.
Bennington
This is a beautiful town with plenty of well maintained older homes. There are a number of outlet stores. We only stopped at Orvis. We don’t have enough room in the RV for more clothes. The jeep needed gas. The service station was full service. Amazing!
The Old First Church
The property is beautiful and it has a very large cemetery with dates back to the 1700’s. Robert Frost, the American poet, is buried here. He is quoted as saying “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on”.
The Tap House
Nice brewery that serves lunch. We enjoyed their IPA.
Honora Winery
Honora Winery is located in Jacksonville Vermont. It was about a 40 minute drive from Bennington. They serve both beer and wine and have cheese plates. We tasted their reds and bought the Syrah and Petite Sirah. Their grapes are from California. Once the grapes are harvested, they are shipped by a refrigerated truck to the winery in only 3 days. Their wines are full bodied, a little soft on the palate, low tannin, and easy to drink without food.
Its still spring. There were lilacs and other flowers blooming everywhere.
Bennington Fish Hatchery
We drove past this everyday going into Bennington, Vermont. The sign said public welcome so we went in. There are a lot of trout here. They may be the largest producer of State stocked fish for Vermont. A very small percentage of the fish they release are for restoration. The fish are primarily for fisherman to catch in the wild. The yearling fish are really about 18-22 months old and about 10 inches long. They get the eggs from Salisbury Fish Culture Station. The trout sure love their fish food.
