The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-02-23
The Historical SOcIety's MeetIng-An
Important Report.

! sented.
0 OIIN SCOTT, Pres.
p The Historical SOeIety's MeetIng-AI
Important Report.
An adjourned meeting of the Histori
= cal Society was held at the office o
? Batcheldei & Bates at 10 a. m. on Wed
nesday, the Hon. Thos. White the frs
vice-president, presiding. The attend
ance was quite good. The following re
port by the committee on marking site
was read and accepted.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON SITES.
Your committee in response to the
vote of the society. passed January II
1888. requesting them to produce fol
the use OF the society what information
they have obtained in regard to-, he iden
tity OF the spots proper to he marked
respectfully report that two of their
number in October, 1886. visited many
of the unmarked historical sites and
found that IN their opinion many were
worthy of notice by the society, They
stuck stakes at them, which were as
follows:
LIST. The site of the Continental store.
house. The committee do not pretend
to know the exact spot on which this
building stood. From tradition, certain
documents and the testimony of wit.
nesses now dead, close approximation
to the spot was made.
End. The site of the old Vermont Ga
zette office. There is no doubt as to the
exact spot on which this building
stood.
3rd. The site of the first Court House
west OF the Green mountains. The exact
spot is known on which this building
stood,
4th, The site of the whipping post.
The committee are positive they can ap
proximate within one rod of the place
ON which this structure stood,
9th. The site of the pIlory. The ap
proximate place Of the pillory is known
with as much certainty as that of the
whipping post.
9th. The site of the first log cabin of
the first settler OF the town. This place
was marked mainly upon the authority
of Mr.. Robinson. Another member of
the committee thinks he can identify
the spot by description of the same in
the Vermont Gazette.
7th The site of the sign post of the
Catamount Tavern.
9Th. The site of the hospital used after
the battle of Bennington, There seems
TO be no doubt as to the exact location
of this building.
9th. The geographical center of the
town of Bennington. A survey by Jon
athon Wentworth in 1909 places the
center of the town near the place where
the stake was driven.
10Th. The site of the house in which
Col. Seth Warner lived
1lth. The place of burial of those Hes.
slams who died in the hospital after the
battle.
18th. The site of the old First Church.
18th. The site of the Clio hall, flour.
shing seat of learning in early times.
18th. The site of William Lloyd Gar
rison's printing house. No doubt exists
as to the identical spot on which this
building stood. The spot was subse-
quently marked and inscribed ly Mr.
Charles NJ, Bliss.
10Th. The site of the first school house
in town.
10Th. The place where the first town
meeting was held. The committee is
not at all certain as TO the identity of
the spot. Some locate the place of hold.
ing the first town meeting more than a
mile and a quarter northwest of the
spot selected by the committee.
18th The place where David Redding,
a traitor and spy, was hanged in 177S
The spot was marked mainly upon the
authority of Hiram Waters, who has
had the place repeatedly pointed out to
him by Gov. Isaac TIchenor, who was
an eye witness of the execution.
1t is proper to add that several places
have already been marked under the
auspices of this society. These are the
redoubt of Baum on the hill where his
headquarters were, the Tory breast
works" so called, the breastwOrks each
side of the road at the Barnet bridge and
Stark's encampment on the 14th of
August, l777. Also the Catamount Tav.
ern. There are several places of inter
est at or near the battle field which
should be marked, among them are the
site of the second engagement, the San
cock mill, the bridge from which Eleaz.
ar Edgerton removed the planks, caus-
ing delay in the march of the enemy.
and the spot where Stark is said to have
stood when he made his famous speech
regarding the possible widowhood of
his Molly.
In regard to the permanent marking
of the hill where Baum threw up his
principal defensive works, that spot
YOUR committee thinks might be well
marked for the present at least by haul
ing together the loose stones on the top
of the hill and building them up. ten or
twenty feet high, and whitewashing
them over, thus making an object that
could be plainly seen from the monu-
ment now going up at Bennington Cen
tire. This work could well be done. that
is the hauling of the stones together by
bee on the 10Th of August next.
A general desire is evident on the
part of the public to have these various
historical spots suitably marked and in
scribed, and your committee would re-
commend that the work be speedily
done.
All of which is respectfully submit
ted.
Il. G. DAY, for the committee,
An animated discussion followed the
reading OF the report at the close of
which Mr.. Childs offered the following
resolution
Resolved, That this society records its
cordial approval of the labors of the
committee on marking historical and
important sites and requests the contin-
uance of their patriotic labors.
Mr.. Bliss wished it to be understood
that he was not the author of the very
appropriate inscription on the Garrison
marker.
The Finance Committee appointed in
1885 were requested to repat what
moneys they had raised and how they
were expended.
The Corresponding Secretary was au-
thorized to correspond with the descend
ants of Hessians in Albany county MY,
with view to have their co-opera
ton with the Society in erecting a
monument over the graves of the Hes
sian dead at Bennington Centre.
The meeting adjourned to meet at the
office of Batchelder & Bates on Wednes
day, March 18th, at 10 a. m.
Bennington Centre.
The tea to be given by the Ladies'
Church A id SOciplv Friday pveninu at