THE COMMUNITIES OF THE SHIRES
ARLINGTON
Famed painter Norman Rockwell lived here for 14 years , using local people as models for some of his most famous paintings .
Writer Dorothy Canfield Fisher helped make the region a magnet for writers and artists a century ago . It attracts actors , too : Michael J . Fox got married here , and Alec Baldwin just bought a place in East Arlington .
The Instagrammable 1852 West Arlington covered bridge spans the Batten Kill , famous for trout .
The lawn by the bridge is a great spot for peaceful picnicking and a dip in the river .
BENNINGTON
When New Hampshire ’ s Royal Governor Benning Wentworth decided in 1749 to claim a block of territory 20 miles east of the Hudson River , he laid out a town and named it Bennington after his mother – and himself .
It ’ s the home of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys .
Photo by Lorianna Weathers Photography
The stunning Patriot victory over British and Hessian troops at the Battle of Bennington on August 16 , 1777 , dealt the invading Crown forces a blow from which they would never recover .
The soaring Bennington Battle Monument ( 306 feet tall ) was built on the site of the Continental storehouse that had been the object of the British attack .
In the 19th century Bennington emerged as an important and innovative industrial center .
Former first lady Michelle Obama chose the Bennington Potters ’ blue agate pattern for a White House place setting .
Only a few years ago , “ Stick Season ” singer / songwriter and Grammynominated Noah Kahan did an impromptu show ( only 100 tickets ) in Bennington .
The Old First Church in Old Bennington draws thousands of visitors each year , and the path to Robert Frost ’ s grave behind the church is well worn by admirers of the poet .
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