Who the Heck is Molly Stark?

As soon as we got to Vermont we started seeing signs about Molly Stark—Molly Stark Trail, Molly Stark State Park, Molly Stark gift shops—which led us to wonder who the mysterious Molly Stark was. We found out when we visited the monument commemorating the Battle of Bennington in Bennington, Vermont. There we learned that the battle involved Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys and was a crucial victory that turned the tide of the Revolutionary War in favor of the colonists. 

Can you find me in this photo?

The monument itself was impressive. From the observation deck we could see three states:  New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont.  Building the monument was such a big task that they built a rail road just to haul in the stone and used steam power to move it. 

As for who Molly Stark was, her husband General John Stark, led the colonists in the battle by declaring “There are your enemies, the Red Coats and the Tories. They are ours or this night  Molly Stark sleeps a widow!” Perhaps more importantly, Molly Stark opened their home as a hospital and served as a nurse for the soldiers who contracted small pox. Interestingly, General Stark, who actually fought the battle, doesn’t have much named for him.

Another thing we learned at the monument is that despite what I heard while living in Austin about Texas being the only state that had been a republic, Vermont was also a republic before it joined the other states. Just like Texas, Vermont has the right to fly the state flag at the same height as the United States .

Russ put a lot of Havoline in cars at his dad's station

As we drove through Bennington Russ’ eyes lit up when he saw the Hemmings museum at the location where they produce their car books and magazines. They only had a small collection of cars but they also displayed a lot of auto-related tools and memorabilia that brought back memories for Russ.

We really hit the museums and historical sites in history-rich Vermont. The Bennington Museum had ample evidence of how self-sufficient small towns were for everything from hand-built furniture to local patents for sewing machines and even cars like the Martin-Wasp which was made in Bennington. 

On a side trip to Arlington, Vermont we went to the Sugar Shack, an odd combination of a syrup/candy store with a Norman Rockwell exhibit. It turns out that Rockwell was one of the several artists—including Grandma Moses—who lived in the Arlington area for a number of years. His house was a white colonial facing a small church building with a tall steeple right by a red covered bridge and a running stream. The whole thing looked like a setting right out of one of his paintings.

One of the headstones from St. James in Arlington

The churches in the area are postcard pretty too. At Arlington we went to the St. James Episcopal Church and cemetery next to it. The church was established 250 years ago so the oldest headstones date back to the 1700s and have gorgeous carvings.  But the Old First Church in Bennington was even more impressive. The interior had the pew boxes that parishioners bought. There were also examples of the coal burners they used to keep their feet warm during the services. Robert Frost is buried in the cemetery along with Revolutionary War soldiers.

Inside of the Old First Church in Bennington

Russ checks out the old barn

We saw a less formal example of the area's history when we stopped at a fruit stand at a roadside barn. We learned that the barn was over 200 years old. Russ was intrigued by the construction of the barn with its square nails, super-wide floor timbers and beam construction. The owner, whose family has owned the farm for generations, has signed the land over to a Vermont trust so it can never be developed.

Outside the Blue Benn Diner

Even when we ate we were soaking up history. We had lunch at the historic Blue Benn diner which was built in 1948. The food was as great as the atmosphere. Nothing better than sitting in an old-school diner eating food as good as home-cooked with Hank Williams singing “Your Cheatin’ Heart on the jukebox.

Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and gravy!

Before we left Vermont we had crossed the state twice in one day, which sounds pretty impressive until you realize that southern Vermont is less than 50 miles across.

Old First Church Bennington

Tombstone St. James, Arlington

WPA painting of General Stark

Robert Frost's Gravesite