Spend
a Fall Day in
Southern Vermont's Gateway:
The Bennington Museum
Dateline: 09/30/99
The Bennington Museum is one of the oldest and
largest decorative and fine arts museums in New England--it dates to 1875 and has been at
its present location on West
Main Street in Bennington since 1928. Highlights of the museum's collection include:
The largest public collection of works by Anna
Mary Robertson Moses, a.k.a. Grandma Moses (1860-1961), who began painting when she was in
her 70s. Two of the paintings on display, pictured at right, are Over the River to
Grandma's House, painted by Grandma Moses in 1944, and A Country Wedding,
which she painted in 1951.
The Grandma Moses Schoolhouse,
the 1834 one-room building where Grandma Moses attended school in nearby Eagle Bridge, 
New York. The
schoolhouse was relocated to museum property in 1972. Inside the schoolhouse, watch a 1955
filmed interview with Grandma Moses and see some of her personal belongings.
The Martin-WASP. the only
automobile commercially manufactured in Vermont. The car on display is one of fewer than
20 ever produced by Karl Martin in Bennington between 1920 and 1925, and it's the only
surviving example.
The Bennington flag, one of the oldest and
most famous surviving American flags. The faded flag dates to about 1810 and contains the
number 76 surrounded by an arch of seven-pointed stars.
Galleries of Vermont historic artifacts, furniture, pottery, glass, toys, and more.
Through December 31, 1999, a special exhibit
titled "Robert Frost in Vermont:
1920-1940," featuring photos, letters, autographed books, and some of the poet's
personal belongings.
The museum also has a lovely gift
shop, and I was pleased that I managed to leave with only two items: a signed, framed
print titled "Girls Night Out" featuring witches and black cats playing in an
autumn nighttime setting by Will Moses, great grandson of Grandma Moses, and a small
book featuring Henry David Thoreau's Autumnal
Tints, an essay I'd never heard of that magically captures the philosophical
meaning of autumn's splendid annual display. I was also sorely tempted to pick up signed
copies of Will Moses' children's books, Silent Night and The Legend of Sleepy
Hollow, but I left those for my next Bennington visit! Or I can always order online.
Hours:
The Bennington Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. November 1 through May 31.
Hours are 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. June 1 through October 31.
Getting There: From Route 7, turn onto West Main Street (Route 9). The museum will be on your left.
Online Coupon: Print this coupon and save on admission.
For More Information: Call (802) 447-1571.
Back to The Bounty of Bennington
The Bennington Battle Monument
The Old First Church and Robert Frost Gravesite
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All photographs by Kimberly Knox, copyright 1999. Leaf graphic from MediaBuilder Image Library public domain clipart collection.
