Bennington Historical Museum

The Bennington Museum is a historical institution in Vermont housing more than 40,000 artifacts including paintings, textiles, furniture, and documents from American history. The collection spans centuries of regional cultural production and shows how people lived and created during earlier periods.

The institution began in 1852 as the Bennington Historical Association and relocated to a former church building in 1923 before opening to the public in 1928. This transition marked its transformation from a private collection into a community resource for preserving regional history.

The museum houses the largest public collection of Grandma Moses paintings, offering visitors a chance to see how this self-taught artist captured rural American life through her distinctive style. Her work shows the everyday moments and landscapes that shaped how people remembered the past.

The museum sits in central Bennington and welcomes visitors on most days of the week, though some days remain closed to the public. Checking hours before arriving helps ensure you can explore the entire collection without rushing through the galleries.

A military gallery holds an extensive collection of firearms made in Vermont alongside artifacts from the Revolutionary War Battle of Bennington. This section offers an unexpected look at how the local area contributed to early American military history through its manufacturing and combat involvement.