15 Bank Street, North Bennington. 1859 House with charming interior. 9 rooms, 3-4 bedrooms. Could easily have bedroom on first floor which connects to full bath. Large kitchen overlooking large back yard, built in cabinets in several rooms, 2 full baths, lots of storage, cast iron baseboard heat, Buderus Boiler, detached garage and shed. Click here for details, photos and virtual tour…
18 Sage Street, North Bennington. North Bennington location! Cute 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 story house with exposed beams in living room, vaulted ceiling in kitchen, open kitchen/dining area, large green house window in kitchen overlooking level backyard. If you’ve been waiting for an affordable North Bennington home, check this out! Click here for additional details and photos. Listing Agent: Kim Warren $135,000.
There are so many reasons to love our area. When I take a walk with my childhood friend and we start down Town Hill from Old Bennington, we always take a deep breath and say how much we love this place. From this vantage point we can see the bustling village, church steeples and historic industrial buildings as well as the fabulous Green Mountain Range….not bad for a morning walk!
Here are ten of the many reasons that I (a third generation Benningtonian) would not live anyplace else:
1) If I go to the grocery store I get to visit with friends, aisle by aisle.
2) If I have to go to the hospital, most nurses and doctors know me by name and give me comfort.
3) If I want to ride my horse I can break away midday and be back to the office in time to finish work.
4) We have outstanding libraries in both Bennington and North Bennington.
5) If I wanted to ski in the winter I could join the business people’s group for downhill skiing every Wednesday afternoon or I could pick numerous spots, professionally groomed, for cross country skiing. In the summer, if I want to swim, we have lakes and watering holes as well as a great indoor pool at the Rec Center. I love to show off our very fine Mount Anthony Country Club to golfers moving to town.
6) When I feel the need for culture, there are concerts, art shows and even our own Symphony Orchestra to attend.
7) When I want to express my views about how the Town is run, I can attend the annual Town Meeting and take my turn.
8) When my grandchildren have a play, concert or sports event I can enjoy these things first hand.
9) When I start gaining weight despite all of these activities, there are many fitness clubs, an indoor tennis facility and yoga teachers to bring me back from the abyss.
10) Last but not least, just driving up to the Four Corners on a soft snowy December evening with all of the Christmas garland and lights twinkling with the wonderful Bank Clock aglow made one of my city clients say…”This is like a scene from It’s A Wonderful Life.”….It is.
Hiland Hall, Trenor Park and John McCullough were the patriarchs of the enormously philanthropic Park-McCullough family of North Bennington, Vermont but don’t discount the women! Hiland’s wife, Dolly, endured a trip around the Horn, losing their first born son on the journey to San Francisco and then returned gamely to the Hall Farm where she efficiently and without complaint ran the family farm during her husband’s long absence. Their daughter, Laura, who married the entrepreneurial attorney Trenor Park, courageously joined her husband in his ventures in California despite her father’s misgivings. She shared in her husbands losses and gains, culminating with their successful return to New York City and North Bennington. Upon their return in 1865 they purchased 200 acres of the Hall Farm saving Hiland and Dolly from serious debt and in one year built the splendid Park-McCullough Estate. In 1871 their daughter Lizzie married John McCullough, former Attorney General for California who later became Governor of Vermont. She remained a resident of the Great House until her death in 1930. Future generations of the family have been instrumental in providing North Bennington with its public library, train station (which has been converted to Town offices) and finally with the gift of the Park McCullough Mansion, now home to a non-profit organization that is the center piece of the cultural life in North Bennington to this day.
Read our next installment on what is happening at present day Hiland Hall.
North Bennington is a picture perfect New England village with cupolas and church steeples dotting the quaint and historic rooftops. It is the home, past and present, of well-known authors, musicians of national note and poets of international reputation as well as home to Bennington College. Main Street in its entirety is on the National Historic Register and many of the homes have been lovingly restored by families who appreciate the special quality that this village offers to their children. North Bennington retains its separate village autonomy and the North Bennington Graded School is one of high parental involvement. Where else can your children ride their bikes to a small, pristine lake that is maintained by a volunteer board?
If you are looking for a special place to raise a family or to enjoy your retirement - or any stage in between – please click here to see the listings currently available in this very special community.