The Fourth of July weekend in Vermont offers many ways to celebrate, but to truly appreciate the meaning of the holiday the state s historic sites are the place to start.
Special events at the Bennington Battle Monument, Mount Independence in Orwell, and the Calvin Coolidge Historic Sites will range from a reading of the Declaration of Independence and Colonial-era music to a ceremony honoring Calvin Coolidge, the only U.S. President born on the Fourth of July.
The many fun and unique activities at the state s historic sites can help visitors and residents alike discover the stories of Vermont s contributions to early American history, said Governor Jim Douglas.
On Saturday July 4th, the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site celebrates the birth of the nation as well as its 30th president.
The public is invited to gather at the village green at noon, when a delegation of the Vermont National Guard will lead a march to the Plymouth Notch Cemetery.
There, a wreath sent from the White House will be placed at the President s gravesite, and Peter Gilbert, director of the Vermont Humanities Council, will speak at a brief ceremony with members of the Coolidge family in attendance.
A chicken barbecue follows at the site s restaurant, the Wilder House, and at 2:00 p.m. the Okemo Young Artist Program will give a concert in the Union Christian Church at Plymouth Notch.
Plymouth resident Fred DePaul will offer wagon rides from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and members of Fiber Arts in Vermont will demonstrate a variety of creative fiber arts such as knitting, sewing, and spinning.
At the Bennington Battle Monument on Saturday, July 4th at 10:00 a.m. there will be the annual reading of the Declaration of Independence by actor Willy Jones on the lawn in front of the Monument.
We encourage visitors to bring a chair or blanket and listen to a presentation of one of history s most important documents the way our ancestors first heard it, read from village to village and town to town, said Nancy Boone, acting State Historic Preservation Officer at the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.
After the reading Virginia Meyer, the Herb Lady, will present Herbs in Colonial America, an illustrated presentation on the growing and use of herbs then and now.
Herbs were used in Colonial America for everything from bug repellants to potpourris and are still in use today. Meyer will discuss how to grow, mix and use common and rare herbs. The event is free and open to the public.
On July 5, 2009, there will be a special musical interpretation by members of the Seth Warner Mount Independence Fife & Drum Corps at the Mount Independence State Historic Site.
Visitors are asked to gather at the museum at 1:30 p.m. for the event, which takes place at 2:00 p.m. at the Lake Champlain overlook on the Baldwin Trail.
Mount Independence, a National Historic Landmark, was built in 1776-77 by American troops as a defense against British attack from Canada, and named after the Declaration of Independence.
On the night of July 5 and 6, 1777, the American Army under General Arthur St. Clair withdrew from Mount Independence and nearby Fort Ticonderoga after British General John Burgoyne sailed down Lake Champlain in an effort to cut New England off from the rest of the United States.
Since a British force more than twice his size had occupied higher ground from which they could bombard his positions, St. Clair abandoned the fortifications without a fight, and two days later at the Battle of Hubbardton soldiers from Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire fought in a decisive rear guard action to halt Burgoyne s army.
The fact that his decisions preserved the army and ultimately led to the American victory in October at the Battle of Saratoga didn t stop an outraged Congress from officially censuring St. Clair for the loss of the forts. He argued that his conduct had been honorable, demanded review by a court martial, and was ultimately exonerated.
The fee for this program is $5.00 for adults and free for children under 15, and includes admission to the museum and all the trails.
To learn more, visit: www.HistoricVermont.org/sites
State Historic Sites Host Fourth of July Events
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