Bennington Museum
75 Main Street
Bennington, Vermont
802-447-1571
Open year round
A visit to the Bennington Museum is a requisite stop when touring this southern Vermont town. It’s a spacious, comfortable place with exhibits featuring the Battle of Bennington history and its weaponry, Early American furniture and pottery, and paintings by local artists, including several of the
19th- century Hudson River art movement.
Also on display is the largest collection of Grandma Moses artwork and artifacts in the world. A video of Edward R. Murrow’s 1955 television interview of the beloved American artist, then 95 (she lived until 101) plays continuously, which does much to infuse the exhibit with her personality. Works of her family members, including her father and grandson, can also be viewed. A replica of a schoolhouse of Grandma Moses’ youth and toys typical of her childhood comprise one wing of the exhibit.
A handsome 1924 Martin-Wasp touring car, one of only 20 produced, rounds out the exhibits of this wonderful museum.
Cell phone accessible audio tours, a nifty use of technology, works by dialing your cell phone at exhibits with a logo, and entering the displayed numbers. When browsing ends, a change of scenery is provided by the adjacent Hadwen Woods Nature Trail – a great way to finish a tour of the Bennington Museum.
Also see the Covered Bridge Museum and art at: http://janesbits.blogspot.com/2011/11/bennington-center-for-arts-and-its.html
Tags: Vermont history, Bennington Museum, Grandma Moses, Vermont Early American art, Bennington museums
