Our national celebration in 1976 made us realize and appreciate our history and our ancestry. This awareness is the key to out first temporary museum.

The small building on the corner of Lake Road and Stage Road was built in 1820 as a law office for John Kellogg. In 1976 Charles Kellogg loaned this building to the town to be used as a museum during our local celebration. Again in 1977 for a Vermont State celebration he once again loaned this unique building. Items displayed for these two celebrations were only on loan.

The restoration of the Methodist Church in 1980 included an addition to house our Benson Town Library. The building, which had previously been used for the library, became our fledging museum. This was a very special year for our town as we celebrated 200 years of the signing of or town charter. This building was the Benson Museum headquarters from 1980 to the fall of 1996. The building was of course shelved because it had been the library and it was centrally located. Local craftsmen helped to make it even more usable for the museum’s purpose.

In 1996 the Village School building was renovated to include Town Offices. The Selectmen once again gave their consent to the museum to use the entire north side of this building. There were some shelves, but more have been added. Glass cases have been donated to house some of the special exhibits. It is hoped that after reading this article that you will visit our museum. From May to October we are open on Wednesdays and Sundays from 1:00pm to 3:00pm.

Our sincere hope is that this project will be part of Benson for generations to come. We feel that the museum serves two purposes. It provides a safe and lasting space for items of Benson’s past. Also, members of this community who no longer have family members in town can come and relive old memories. Thanks for visiting!