Vermont State Historic Sites

09/04/2026

This Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 5 & 6, 2026, Soldiers Atop the Mount at the Mount Independence State Historic Site, Orwell, VT. Here's the schedule. Interesting things to see and do. This year is the 250th anniversary of the start of Mount Independence!
$9 adults, $1 ages 6-16, under 6 free. Also Green Mountain Passport holders and Mount Independence Coalition members free.
Saturday:
10:00 - 5:00 Museum and site open. Visit the reenactors camp. Reenactors on site to talk with public (encampment, near north section of Baldwin Trail, follow the signs)
10:30 – 3:30 Hands on children’s activities (in area above museum)
10:30 –2:00 Baldwin Trail Walkabout—meet experts at stations marked with stars on walkabout map. Learn about Mount Independence history— the Chaplain is in; Dr. Potts and the hospital; Revolutionary War food; building the Mount Independence-Hubbardton Military Road; the life of Col. William Bond; wood-working, building fortifications, and making fascines; "How the Musket Works;” provisions and supplies for the soldiers; laying out the regiments; and the Southern Defenses.
3:00 Narrated woods scouting party, gather near encampment at top of hill and follow the reenactor leader, talk with reenactors afterward
Approx.. 3:30 (after scouting party) Learning how to drill
5:00 Museum closes

Sunday
10:00 Museum and site open, reenactor encampment open
10:00 – 2:00 Visit the soldier encampment children’s activities near building
10:30 Historic Mount Independence sermon/oration, given first on October 20, 1776, by Rev. David Tennent, chaplain (above museum, near picnic area)
11:15 Annual reading of Declaration of Independence (near picnic area)
11:45 TBD
1:00 Start of Mount Independence-Hubbardton Military Road Auto Tour, with introduction in front of museum. Travel in your own vehicle. Reading of the September 7, 1776, order to build the road.
2:00 “Nothing but Honor,” talk by author and reenactor Skyler Bailey about his new book on the Battle of Hubbardton. Books available for purchase and signing.
2:00 Camps close
5:00 Museum Closes.

09/03/2026

Plymouth Folk and Blues this weekend--Sept 5 and 6, 2026, 2 to 5 pm. Great time, bring your portable lawn chairs if you like and a picnic. This year’s line-up will feature Grace Morrison, Tom Pirozzoli, and Joseph Parsons on Saturday, as well as KeruBo, Sister Speak, and The Kennedys on Sunday. All concerts are free, and cash donations to support the artists are appreciated and go directly to the artists. Food donations of unexpired non-perishables for the Vermont Food Bank will also be collected.

09/02/2026

UPDATE: This Sunday, September 6, the President Chester Arthur State Historic Site will be open regular hours!

09/01/2026

September is Vermont Archaeology Month. Info on events on this VAM page.

Vermont Archaeology Month enters its 31st year this September! VAM’s mission is to provide exposure, education, and outreach about the archaeology and history of Vermont and its inhabitants. Please see our schedule of events below, on this page's events tab, or at: https://accd.vermont.gov/.../vermont-archaeology-month
Events are still being scheduled, so check back regularly for updates!

08/31/2026

Revolutionary War History Comes to Life at Mount Independence for 250th Anniversary Living History Weekend

ORWELL, Vt. —To honor the 250th anniversary of Mount Independence, the Division for Historic Preservation is hosting its annual “Soldiers Atop the Mount” living history weekend on Saturday, September 5, and Sunday, September 6, 2026. The two-day event in Orwell honors the soldiers who built and garrisoned the site in 1776 and 1777, helping lay the foundation of the new United States of America.

The weekend features a variety of interactive events and family-friendly programming:

• Baldwin Trail Walkabout (Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.): Reenactors and site interpreters will staff 10 stations along the trail and encampment to bring history to life. Visitors are encouraged to arrive early to explore every station.
• Daily Activities: Ongoing demonstrations will showcase military tactics, period skills, historic camp life, and activities tailored for children.
• Amenities: Food and refreshments, including a simple lunch, snacks, and beverages, will be available for purchase both days.

Sunday’s events highlight historic speeches, an auto tour, and a book signing:
• Morning Activities: experience a reenactment of Rev. David Tennent’s rousing 1776 wartime oration and the annual reading of the Declaration of Independence. Visitors are also welcome to tour the active military camps.
• 1:00 p.m. – Military Road Auto Tour: Join Crown Point Road Association historian Jim Rowe for a self-driven auto tour. Starting at Mount Independence with a reading of Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates’s 1776 construction order, the tour follows the historic military road, concluding at . Hubbardton Battlefield State Historic Site.
• 2:00 p.m. – Author Presentation: Author and reenactor Skyler Bailey will discuss and sign his new book, Nothing but Honor: Eyewitness Accounts of the Battle of Hubbardton.

All activities are included with admission: $9.00 adults, $1.00 ages 6–16, under 6 free. The site is open both days from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Most activities are outside. Visitors should dress for the weather, wear walking shoes, and be prepared to walk, including around the Baldwin Trail area, which is handicapped accessible with compacted services and gentle grades and the mown ground of the reenactor encampment. The museum shop features an excellent selection of books and other items. Call 802-948-2000 for schedule details.

Mount Independence is a National Historic Landmark and considered one of the best-preserved Revolutionary War archaeological sites in America. It is located at 497 Mount Independence Road, six miles west of the intersection of Vermont Routes 22A and 73 in Orwell. The site is open daily, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., through October 28.

Visit the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation website for details on Mount Independence and other locations.

About the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation
The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, part of the Department of Housing and Community Development, is responsible for the stewardship and interpretation of state-owned historic sites. Through its programs, the Division for Historic Preservation integrates Vermont’s history into community growth and planning, fostering research, education, and the adaptive use of historic properties across the state.

08/30/2026

More about Col. William Bond, his life, and his death 250 years ago today--on Aug. 30, 1776.

08/30/2026

This day in history, August 30, 1776, 250 years ago, at Mount Independence on Lake Champlain, Col. William Bond passed away. He was commander of the 25th Continental Regiment and was very active in the early days of Mount Independence. He wrote on August 10th to his wife, saying he is well, and discussed what they were doing on Mount Independence. The next day Col. Jeduthan Baldwin, chief American engineer, wrote in his journal: "yesterday Departed this life my very good friend Coll. Bond & this Day was buried under Arms after a suitable discourse, & Prayer. a discharge of Cannon at the Fort. much lamented by his brother officers. he lay Sick about a Week & died with the yallow feaver." (letter from the collection of University of California, San Diego). Thank you for your service Colonel Bond. Bond will be honored at Mount Independence, on Sat., Sept. 5, during the Soldiers Atop the Mount event, at a station on the Baldwin Trail walkabout (10:30 am - 2:00 pm). Sherman Lohnes, who has researched and written about Col. Bond, will talk with visitors about his life and contributions to American independence.

08/29/2026

President Calvin Coolidge enjoyed fishing. The locations of some of his summer vacations were chosen with an eye on fishing opportunities. One of his favorite fishing locations was the River Brule, Wisconsin. A reported asked him how many fish were in the Brule. Coolidge answered it was estimated to be about 45,000 fish. “I haven’t caught them all yet,” he said, “but I’ve intimidated them.” He was presented this Wisconsin non-resident fishing "license" in 1928, when he was there one summer (medal in collection of President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site, Plymouth, VT). Have you been fishing this summer? Story from "Coolidge Wit and Wisdom," compiled by John Hiram McKee, published by Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1933.

08/28/2026

Plan ahead for special events next weekend, Labor Day Weekend--Sept 5 & 6, at the Mount Independence State Historic Site in Orwell, VT, and the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site in Plymouth, VT. The annual Soldiers Atop the Mount at Mount Independence is honoring the 250th anniversary of the start of this major Revolutionary War defense. Sat., 10 to 5, Sun., 10 to 3. A full schedule of offerings will be posted on the FB event listing for this next week. The annual Plymouth Folk and Blues is from 2 to 5 both days. Stars from Vermont and internationally known musicians team up for a lively two-day festival of folk and blues music performed in the pure country air of historic Plymouth Notch, birthplace of the 30th U.S. President. This year’s line-up will feature Grace Morrison, Tom Pirozzoli, and Joseph Parsons on Saturday, as well as KeruBo, Sister Speak, and The Kennedys on Sunday. Also go to website for more info: https://historicsites.vermont.gov/