Vermont's Colonial Shrine
Vermont Legislature Joint Resolution December 11, 1935
Whereas, the Old First Church of Bennington was
organized December 3, 1762, and is the Oldest Church
within the present limits of Vermont; and
Whereas, our forefathers met in Prayer in the First
Meeting House for assistance against the oppressive
measures of New York and the overwhelming power of
King George, and to the First Meeting House returned
from the capture of Fort Ticonderoga, the Battle of
Bennington, the surrender of Burgoyne to offer up
their Thanksgiving; and
Whereas, in the first Meeting House of Bennington
the Legislature of Vermont met on eight separate
occasions, and the laws for carrying on the Government of this sovereign state were enacted at the Meeting House on February 11, 1779; and the convention, consisting of one Delegate from each Town, Held in Bennington on January 10, 1791, ratified the Constitution of the United States by the signatures of 105 out of 109 Delegates, thereby preparing the way for the admission of Vermont into the Union as the first state after the Original Thirteen; and
Whereas, the burial ground, surrounding the aforementioned church structure is the first and oldest
cemetery in the state, where lie the remains of five
Governors of Vermont, seventy-five Revolutionary
Soldiers, the author of Vermont's Declaration of
Independence, the founder of the Vermont Gazette,
the Patriots who fell at the Battle of Bennington,
The Hessian prisoners who died of their wounds in the
First Meeting House converted into a temporary
hospital, together with scores of others who labored
for the stability and prosperity of Vermont; now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:
That the aforesaid Bennington Center Cemetery
and the aforementioned First Church Building are
hereby Declared to be Vermont's Colonial Shrine for
the preservation of the sacred memories and traditions
of Colonial Days, in order that our children's children may cherish the great deeds of our fathers and build on the foundations laid by them the commonwealth of the future.
Marker can be reached from Monument Ave., on the left when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
