Latest News
On Monday, Feb. 2, at the Old First Church Barn, the Trustees of the Village of Old Bennington will hold a public hearing on the conditional-use permit application filed by The Walloomsac Property LLC for the Walloomsac Inn. The application is being considered under the interim bylaw adopted by the Trustees at their Jan. 5 special meeting. The completed application form, and an addendum providing further detail on the Inn and its planned restoration, can be found under the "Board of Trustees" tab, in the first section, titled Trustee Meeting Agendas. The formal notice of the hearing is posted there too. Please note that by law (24 V.S.A. §§ 4464(a)(1)(C) and 4471(a)), participation in this local proceeding is a prerequisite to the right to take any subsequent appeal.
Citizens wishing to know more about the interim bylaw are referred to the minutes of the Jan. 5 special meeting, which can be found under the "Board of Trustees" tab, in the section titled Trustee Meeting Minutes. There was an ample discussion, which then continued at the Jan. 6 regular Trustees meeting. The minutes of the Jan. 6 meeting are available in the same place. Both contain links to Zoom recordings, for those who wish to watch and listen.
Readers wishing to view current and recent Treasurer's Reports can find them by scrolling farther down through the Board of Trustees tab. They are below the Agendas and Minutes.
For Information concerning Vermont's Open Meeting Law, see the Open Meeting Law Notice under the Other Documents tab. The law requires any person aggrieved by an alleged violation of the Open Meeting Law to provide the Village a written notice of such allegation before bringing any civil action in court. See the Other Documents tab for a sample Open Meeting Law Complaint Form.
About Us
Location
Old Bennington is situated on a height of land approximately one-half mile west of the center of the Town of Bennington, which lies in the Walloomsac River valley below. Looming over the Village to the southwest is Mount Anthony. A ridge called Monument Hill elevates the northern third of the Village, but along the eastern edge of the Village the land falls sharply away in a steep slope toward the river below. The remainder of the Village is fairly level. Many large, well-spaced houses are surrounded by lawns and gardens. We still enjoy the luxury of some open land with beautiful vistas.
History
The Village of Old Bennington represents the original center of Bennington. Samuel Robinson and a band of religious separatists from Connecticut and Massachusetts founded it in 1761. Over the past 254 years the focus of industrial, commercial and residential development has shifted to the valley below, and Old Bennington has become a small, incorporated Village within the Town of Bennington. Its character has become a historical, single-family residential community.