Some Vermont History and additional places to visit

Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site -- On August 16, 1777, British forces sent by General Burgoyne to seize supplies at Bennington were turned back by New Englanders under General John Stark and Vermont’s Col. Seth Warner. Visit this 306 ft. commemorative shaft, planned 100 years later, which was dedicated in 1891. In 1953 it was taken over, restored and an elevator installed by the VT Historic Sites Commission which now administers it for the State. 30 Caretaker’s Road, Bennington, Vermont. Open Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays 1-4 p.m. May-Columbus Day weekend. Adults $5. Call 518-686-8266 or visit www.HistoricVermont.org/Bennington.

Hildene – See history at President Lincoln's son's magnificent estate. On Historic Route 7A, Manchester. Visit www.hildene.org or call 802-362-1788. 30 minutes south.

Pearl S. Buck -- Writer, humanitarian, and civil rights activist, Pearl Buck was the first American woman to receive the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes for literature. She worked to cross political and cultural barriers to further understanding among all peoples of the world. Her perspective was fostered by a life lived equally in China and America and by extensive world travels. She established Welcome House, the first adoption agency specializing in multi-racial adoptions, and the Pearl S. Buck Foundation to aid thousands of children fathered by American servicemen overseas. In 1950 she purchased property in Winhall, VT, and in 1969 moved to Danby, finding an American town she loved, helped restore, and where she died in 1973.

Bill Wilson -- was born November 26, 1895, in a room behind the bar at the Wilson House Hotel in Danby, Vermont. From age 11 until entering the Army, he lived at the Griffith House across the church yard from his birthplace. Will W. wrote the book recovery program for alcoholics. Through this program, a multitude of lives have been saved. Other programs, based on the original 12 steps, exist worldwide for healing individuals and families. The Wilson House welcomes visitors.

US President Calvin Coolidge - Born July 4, 1872, in a house back of store, Calvin Coolidge from four years of age lived in the Homestead across the road in Plymouth Notch, now owned by the State of Vermont. Visit his home, where, on Aug. 3, 1923, he was inaugurated President and here he spent many vacations. In the Notch Cemetery he rests beside his wife and son and 4 generations of forebears.

John Deere -- Inventor of the world’s first steel moldboard plow – “the plow that broke the plains” -- John Deere learned the blacksmith trade in Middlebury, Vermont as an apprentice in the shop of Capt. Benjamin Lawrence from 1821 to 1825. The shop was on Mill Street, in what is now known as ‘Frog Hollow’.

Paul Harris – Founder of Rotary International, was raised in Wallingford, Vermont. In a red brick building, constructed by his great-grandfather in 1818, Paul P. Harris attended school as a youth and received this elementary education. Many years later, Mr. Harris expressed the conviction that it was during his boyhood in Wallingford that he learned the basic ideals which became the cornerstones of Rotary International; destined to become a World-Wide service organization. The former schoolhouse is now maintained as a Memorial to Paul P. Harris by the Wallingford Rotary Club. Visiting Rotarians are welcome at the club’s Monday morning meetings at 7 a.m. held in Paul Harris’s Little Red Schoolhouse, Route 7, Wallingford.

Schroon Lake – famous as the site for “On Golden Pond.” At Lake George. Schroon Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 726, 1075 US Route 9, Schroon Lake, New York 12870. Call 1-888-SCHROON or visit www.schroonlake.org.

Fort Ticonderoga -- The history of Fort Ticonderoga spans thousands of years from the early Native American period up to the present. Visit the Fort Ticonderoga National Historic Landmark and come away with a deeper understanding of American history from the French and Indian War and Revolutionary War periods of the 18th century. In Fort Ticonderoga, NY on the western shore of Lake Champlain.

The Robert Frost Trail -- The Robert Frost Memorial Trail is just off route 125 close to the Middlebury College Bread Loaf campus in the Green Mountain National Forest. Poems are placed along the trail. The trail is open year round. Call the Middlebury office of the Green Mountain National Forest for a pamphlet, 802-388-4362.