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by Bill Morgan (Author), Tom Fels (Author)
A Town and its People
Bennington was the first town chartered in Vermont and has played a vital role in both the American Revolution and the founding of the state of Vermont. The town was also home to some very unique individuals who shaped the Green Mountain State.
Ethan Allen, Robert Frost, Grandma Moses, Norman Rockwell, Shirley Jackson and William Lloyd Garrison have all called this area home at one time or another. The economic base of the town is rooted in the mills that once lined the banks of its rivers. Bennington pottery became one of the most popular styles of early American ceramics and is revered by antiquarians to this day. The Kiddie Car was invented and built in Bennington, and a large percentage of the stereoscopes used in every home a century ago came from factories in the area. A car beautiful enough to be driven by Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford was designed and built in town. Even one of the victims of the tragic Titanic disaster was a local man.
No wonder that writers like Bernard Malamud and Dorothy Canfield Fisher were proud to spend their lives creating wonderful books here. Authors Bill Morgan and Tom Fels reveal the stories behind the names.
Author Biography
Bill Morgan is an author, archivist and bibliographer living in Bennington. He has written more than forty books dealing with history and literature. He currently serves as the secretary of the Bennington Historical Society. Tom Fels is a curator and writer based in North Bennington whose exhibitions have been shown at the Getty Museum in Malibu and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. He is the author of numerous books and articles in topics ranging from nineteenth-century photography and the nature of contemporary counterculture to the history of Bennington.
