Covered Bridge Museum Opened

 

Bennington, June 14, 2003 - The Vermont Covered Bridge Museum officially opened on this day at 10 a.m., described by entrepreneur Bruce Laumeister as the world's first.

Located on Gypsy Lane off Route 9 west of Old Bennington and in sight of the Bennington Battle Monument, the new museum and learning center is housed in a wing of the Bennington Center for the Arts building, designed to resemble a covered bridge. The Center was founded by Mr. Laumeister and his wife Elizabeth Small.

Among the museum's exhibits are a working HO Gauge railroad and covered bridge layout, an interactive kiosk describing covered bridges of Vermont, a resource center based on the collected writings of Richard Sanders Allen, and covered bridges described in all of their aspects through artful display of models and photographs galore of bridges past and present. The Archives of the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges provided an important share of the exhibits.

The Museum was planned and the exhibits assembled by the Center staff under the guidance and direction of Bennington historian John Dostal and the talented efforts of Emiliano DeLaurentis, founder of Knowledge Environments, Inc. of North Adams, Mass. Also deeply involved in the planning and coordination of the effort was Curator Robert Campanile, former director of the North Adams Museum of History and Science.

The festivities began with the opening of Gallery III exhibit "Art of the Animal Kingdom" followed by a live raptor demonstration by the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Attendees were entertained by the music of the Flying Garbanzos from noon to two.

The afternoon saw an introduction of Bruce Laumeister by Vermont House Representative Joe Krawczyk, an address by Robert Campanile, some words from John Dostal, and a showing of the Video Film Documentary Covered Bridges of Vermont, directed by Emiliano DeLaurentis.

The ceremonies continued with the recitation of his poem by author and poet Ed Barna, comments by Joe Nelson, president of the Vermont Covered Bridge Society, and entertainment by Eric Peterson and Willy Jones of the Oldcastle Theatre Company; "Yankee Traditions."

The celebration was concluded with comments by Vermont Governor, James Douglas.