We left our hotel, The Four Chimney Inn, and drove to the Bennington Monument.
This colossal obelisk, over 300ft tall and the highest structure in Vermont, was built at the end of the 19th century to commemorate the victory over the British at the Battle of Bennington during the War of Independence. There is a lift inside the monument, but sadly there was a power failure and we were unable to go to the top and see the three states visible; Vermont, Massachusetts and New York.Just around the corner from the monument was the Bennington Museum. Here they have a display, dedicated to Grandma Moses who was a local resident. The exhibition is housed in the old schoolhouse she used. It was moved from its original location in a town near Bennington, to the museum.
Grandma Moses came to fame in the 1940'a for her paintings that depicted rural life in Vermont. She lived to over 100 and has become one of the most renowned American 20th century artists. Next door to the museum is the church where Robert Frost, the American poet, is buried.
Unfortunately the church was locked so we couldn't see the inside but we were able to see Frost's grave.
We then went to the Park-McCullough mansion, a fine example of 19th century American architecture.
The mansion was built by a 19th century lawyer who made his money in the gold rush. It was the former residence of two governors of Vermont.Nearby were three more covered bridges. We have now found out that they were built this way to give the bridges protection from the weather.
We left Bennington for Saratoga Springs, just across the border, in New York state. Saratoga Springs is famous for its spring water as well as horse racing, It was a favourite recreational area in the early 20th century. The drive then took us the final 30 miles to where Jim and Leejun Taylor live in Mayfield on the shore of lake Sacandaga.
Above is the view across the lake from their back garden. A wonderful location.
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