The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-09-26
Marking Battle Sitter.

As our reades know, THE BA NNER has
from time to time mentioned the various
proposals to mark the historic sites here
abouts with permanent memorials, but
we find in the Troy Press of Saturday an
epitome of these things which will serve
to refresh the memory. The Press says;
Considerable interest centers in the
proposed marking of the many histori-
cal sites in Bennington by suitable
monuments. All the work heretofore
done IN this line has been performed by
a committee of the Bennington Historl-
cal Society. Thirty-five or more places
have been designated as sufficiently i'm
teresting and important to be worthy Of
having permanent markers. Lately the
Bennington battlefield has been care
fully looked over, and sometime this
fall, or next summer, a monument will
probably be erected on the brow of the
hill where Col. Baum's entertainments
were placed. Col. Olin Scott has recent
ly declared his intention Of erecting a
monument at his own expense, or to
contribute the sum of $500 towards the
erection of one either at the place above
mentioned or at the spot where Gen.
tark made his famous speech regarding
the immediate whipping of the British
redcoats or Molly Stark would sleep a
widow that night. Some prominent
citizens of SALISBURY have become in
terested in the matter from the fact that
there were many SALISBURY men in the
battle, and they express Willingness to
mark at their own expense the spot
where the Tory breastworks we're placed.
For similar reason Pownal may mark
the site of the British breastworks, near
the Barnet bridge.
AT Bennington Centre, the spot
which will probably be first marked by
the society, will be the site OF the first
church ever erected in Vermont. A
wealthy citiz IN of California, former
Benningtonian, will contribute hand
somely for a suitable monument for the
place where stood the old Vermont Ga
zette office in which was published the
first newspaper of the state. This monu-
ment will probably be in the form Of an
old-style hand printing press with a
copy Of the Gazette lying on the bed OF
the press. The site of the first log cabin
Of the first settler, with the adjoining
land which was first cleared for cultiva-
tion in Bennington, will be marked by Q
cabin in stone. Another spot that will
probably be marked in the near future
is the camping ground of Capt. Samuel
Robinson in 1859. Capt. Robinson was
really the founder of Bennington, and 1t
occurred in this way : He was Captain
in the army in the French war, and his
returning route from Lake George 10
Hardwick. Macs, his then place of resi-
dence, lay up the Hoosick river to Will
Jamestown. thence across the mountain
to Connecticut. lie mistook one Of the
branches of the Hoes ok for the main
stream, and he and his company found
themselves approaching the mountain
without passing the Hoosick forts. He
in fact, came up the Walloomsac instead
Of the Hoosick, and found himself with
in the limits of Bennington. Capt. Rob-
inson was elated with the territory
which he had accidentally discovered
and determined to begin settlement
upon it, which he did in 1861.
"The society will earnestly labor until
all the thirty five spots are suitably and
permanently marked"