August 16 is Vermont’s official state holiday—Bennington Battle Day, honoring the American victory over the British at the August 16, 1777 Revolutionary War battle. To celebrate the anniversary all of Vermont’s State-Owned Historic Sites will be open free on Monday, August 16 to Vermont residents and Vermonters at heart.

Four Vermont state historic sites help tell the story of the American Revolution. American forces withdrew from Mount Independence in Orwell, now the least disturbed Revolutionary War site in America, on July 5 & 6, 1777. The Hubbardton Battlefield in Hubbardton preserves the July 7, 1777, location of the Revolution’s only battle fought in Vermont. The next day the Vermont constitution was completed and signed at the Old Constitution House in Windsor. The 306 foot tall Bennington Battle Monument, the tallest structure in Vermont, marks the site of the arsenal British and German troops were trying to capture that August 16th day they were defeated at the Battle of Bennington.

At the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site in Plymouth Notch, see the new Education & Museum building and enjoy one of the best preserved presidential sites in the country.

For further information about the locations and hours of these sites, visit the Vermont state-owned historic sites web site: www.HistoricVermont.org/sites or contact John Dumville at (802) 828-3051.