Vermont is a State I Love - Bennington, VT
N 42° 52.883 W 073° 11.930
18T E 647094 N 4749216
This historical marker is located at 150 Depot Street in Bennington, Vermont.
Waymark Code: WM63QT
Location: Vermont, United States
Date Posted: 03/28/2009
Views: 24
The marker text reads as follows:
"I could not look upon the peaks of Ascutney, Killington, Mansfield, and Equinox without being moved in a way that no other scene could move me. It was here that I first saw the light of day; here I received my bride; here my dead lie pillowed on the loving breast of our everlasting hills. I love Vermont because of her hills and valleys, her scenery and invigorating climate, but most of all, because of her indomitable people. They are a race of pioneers who have almost beggared themselves to serve others. If the spirit of liberty should vanish from other parts of the union and support of our institutions should languish, it could all be replenished from the generous store held by the people of this brave little state of Vermont." President Calvin Coolidge, 1928
President Coolidge ended a two-day inspection of Vermont's 1927 flood recovery as his train arrived here about 7 p.m. Sept. 21, 1928. Five thousand people greeted Coolidge and wife Grace with loud applause as they appeared on the rear coach platform. After quieting the crowd, the president began, "Fellow Vermonters, for two days we have traveled through the state of Vermont..." He thanked Vermonters for their hospitality and great response to the flood. Continuing without notes, he said, "Vermont is a state I love…" A reporter heard Coolidge's voice "quivering with emotion." Applause was lengthy. Mrs. Coolidge asked if reporters had written down the words, lest they be lost. "Vermont is a State I Love" remains Coolidge's best-known tribute to his native state.
Vermont Division for Historic Preservation - 2003
For more information, visit www.HistoricVermont.org/Coolidge