Bennington County - Museum Directory

Bennington Museum engages and transforms our visitors and our community by connecting them to our region’s diverse arts, rich history, and culture of innovation.

Hours and Admission: 10am to 4pm with the following schedule:
April, May, November, & December: Thursday-Monday
June through October: Open every day except Wednesday
Closed January, February, and March

The Dorset Historical Society and Bley House Museum features farm and household items, maps, photographs, early local Fenton stoneware, paintings, marble diorama locating all the marble quarries of Dorset, and a collection of Jessica Bond stencil art. The society owns The Pratt Genealogies which record, almost 50 years of data about early Dorset families (1856-1906).

Hours and Admission: Wednesday-Friday 10-4 and Saturdays 10-2. 

Thursday 9:00 am to 12:00 pm 

Hours and Admission: By appointment

The old cheese factory has space for displays and other uses, special programs, etc. The society has taped and transcribed oral histories (conducted following the bicentennial in 1991). There are also pictures and written material regarding people and places, as well as a few objects, including the front of the old post office, and inn furniture. Visitors by appointment.

Pownal Historical Society History Center. Visitors by appointment.

Museum built in 1840 houses collections that include 3 ft x 5 ft photos of the village reproduced from glass plates (very impressive!), Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington Railroad memorabilia, quilts from the 1850s and 1860s, furniture from the Readsboro Chair Shop, 1890s fire equipment, and written records of the town and school dating back to 1853.

Hours and Admission: June - October 1: by appointment. Handicap accessible.

The society's museum is located in the 1872 Rupert Village School, sharing quarters with the Rosalind K. Kittay Public Library. Items relating to local history are displayed in the entry hall and in the upstairs schoolroom. Also, visit our ca. 1840 saltbox house, adjacent to our museum- fully restored and furnished by RHS.

Hours and Admission:  Saturday 10:00 a.m. - Noon or by appointment. "Some" Sundays.

The Russell Vermontiana Collection is a collection of rare books and chronicles about Vermont, works by Vermont authors, photographs, historic documents of all types and sizes, and genealogies. The collection contents are particularly focused on the Vermont towns of Arlington, Sunderland, and Sandgate, but there is much from the rest of Vermont, as well as nearby New York and Massachusetts. The collection is the culmination of a life of collecting on the part of Dr. George A. Russell, who started his historic collection at the age of 12 and continued to add to it until his death in May of 1968 at the age of 89.

Hours and Admission: Tuesday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm or by appointment.

The museum is housed in the former circa 1846 Baptist Meeting House, which is also used for religious services and community gatherings. There are 6000 artifacts, books, and documents, emphasizing old tools, Victorian fans, old church music books, railroad memorabilia, and Shaftsbury genealogical materials. There are special exhibits on one-room schools and religious and scientific views of creation. Activities include lectures and historic house tours.

Hours and Admission: Open weekends from May - October. Free.

Secondary Contacts: Winhall Town Clerk ((802) 297-2122), Winhall Town Administrator ((802) 297-2119)

This is the local museum and archives for Winhall.
Hours and Admission: Monday - Thursday, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, or by appointment.