One can tell a lot about the economic history of a community by looking at the houses. If one style predominates, that reveals when the fortunes of the town were at their peak. Architecture styles change over time, showing the preferences of the people based on convenience, availability of materials, and outside influences. Bennington is no different, as eight distinct styles were employed from late 1700s to the 1950s: the Cape; the Colonial; the Federal; the American Gothic; the Italianate; Second Empire; the Queen Anne; and the Ranch.

The ‘colonial era’ in New England ran from 1607 to 1776. One speaks of ‘colonial architecture,’ but only one type of house is called The Colonial. It is rather like a grown up Cape-style house. Sometimes a standard Cape would be enlarged by putting on a second floor, turning it into a Colonial. A ‘Colonial’ is a two-and-a-half story house in a rectangular shape. The facade has five windows on the second floor and two [sometimes one] on each side of the centrally-placed front door is on the long side of the house. It is the classic farmhouse of the New England country-side. Inside, there is an entry hall, dominated by the ascending staircase. To the left would be a parlor, and on the right, the dining room. The kitchen is in the back of the first floor. Upstairs, there would be a hallway and four bedrooms, one in each corner.

The next installment of the Bennington NH Historical Society Blog will be posted on December 11, 2023. If you click the Follow button, all future posts will be sent straight to your inbox every month.