Bennington's Battle Monument

The story of the concept, fund raising, design and construction of the 306' dolomite obelisk in Bennington, Vermont that commemorates the August 16, 1777 Revolutionary War victory that made possible British Major General John Burgoyne's defeat at Saratoga on October 8, 1777. Contemporary newspaper articles chronicle the construction's progress from 1887 to 1889 when the two ton capstone was put in place. U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes attended the laying of the monument's cornerstone in 1887. President Benjamin Harrison attended the monument's dedication in 1891. The Bennington Battle Monument, the tallest man-made building in the State of Vermont, is the second tallest unreinforced masonry building in the United States; the first is the Washington Monument, which is the tallest unreinforced masonry building in the world. Bennington Battle Day is a Vermont state holiday. ILLUSTRATIONS: Fifty historic photographs, sketches and print include portraits of Presidents Hayes and Harrison; sketches of rejected designs; and a bird's-eye view of the town of Bennington in 1887. Six modern images illustrate the photographer's climb to the top to answer his question, "How do they change the light bulb up there?"