March 2023

Bennington Museum Monthly

March is the beginning of mud season, here in Vermont, but it is also sugaring season! Everywhere you look you can see the backyard fires burning. The Museum is still closed during this shoulder time of year, but we have many programs to keep you entertained which can be enjoyed either at the Museum, or remotely from the comfort of your own home. The most recently released BHS newsletter, for instance, is a perfect way to pass these cold end of winter days.

In the meantime, we are keeping busy re-installing galleries, updating signage, organizing our Regional History Room, and planning exciting new programs for the coming months.

Speaking of, there is no better time to become a member. As of April 1, Contributing Member prices will slightly increase for the first time in a decade from $125 to $135 - which still makes a Bennington Museum NARM membership the best deal around. If you want to hold your membership at the current rate, make sure to renew now and extend your benefits out another year.

We look forward to seeing you soon, and as always get in touch if you have any questions!

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, 3/8

6pm - 7pm

The History of the Walloomsac Inn

A Free Virtual Event courtesy of a sponsorship from the Preservation Trust of Vermont

Thursday, 3/16

1:30pm - 2:30pm

Museum ABCs: Weather Words

A free in-person program for pre-schoolers and their families. Sponsored by the Bank of Bennington.

Sunday, 3/19

2pm - 3pm

Requiem – The Life and Death of Mary Mabel Rogers

A free in-person program presented by the Bennington Historical Society. Sponsored by Williams Financial.

Saturday, 3/25

2pm - 4pm

Music at the Museum:

The Maestro Experience

A free in-person program with Thomas Lawrence Toscano.

Recently Awarded Grants

LEGENDS AND LORE



The William G. Pomeroy Foundation has approved a grant to Bennington Museum for the full cost of fabricating a Legends & Lore roadside marker in Pownal, Vermont recognizing the only known Vermont witch trial. Pownal Historical Society member, Joyce Held, and Jamie Franklin, curator at Bennington Museum, worked in tandem with the Vermont Folklife Center to secure this funding and bring an obscure and dark part of Southern Vermont history to light.

Image courtesy of the Bennington Banner

The plaque will be placed at Strobridge Park along the Hoosick River in Pownal, overlooked by Kreiger Rocks, near the site where Widow Kreiger was thought to have been "tried." The marker, which will be installed this summer in conjunction with the Museum's Haunted Vermont exhibit, will read as follows:

WITCH TRIAL

WIDOW KRIEGER SAID TO ESCAPE

DROWNING IN THIS RIVER WHEN

TRIED AS A WITCH CA. 1785.

ACCUSERS BELIEVED WITCHES

FLOATED. SHE SANK & WAS SAVED

COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION AND RECOVERY PROGRAM

Bennington Museum has also recently been awarded an CRRP grant in the amount of $36,944 to support a roof repair roof and HVAC improvement project. These projects will build upon the window insulation grants awarded in 2022 and help to close the loop in terms of making our historic building more energy efficient to the benefit of both the environment and our budget. The CRRP grant will help to close the funding gap until the full cost benefits of these improvements take effect.

Legacy Giving

Planned gifts have a significant impact on Bennington Museum's ability to operate and

serve our mission of making regional art and history accessible to the public. Your

estate planning will allow us to plan for our future in a confident and prudent manner,

ensuring that we are able to care for the objects in our collection and present those

collections for the enjoyment and edification of our community and visitors for years to

come.

If you have included Bennington Museum in your plans, please consider notifying our Development Office, if you have not already done so. This provides the Museum with the opportunity to understand your intentions and thank you for your commitment.

Warmly,

Ryan Senecal

Development Associate

rsenecal@benningtonmuseum.org