Vermont's Colonial Shrine

Whereas, the Old First Church of Bennington was organized December 3, 1762, and is the Oldest Church within the present limits of Vermont; and<br><br> Whereas, our forefathers met in Prayer in the First Meeting House for assistance against the oppressive measures of New York and the overwhelming power of King George, and to the First Meeting House returned from the capture of Fort Ticonderoga, the Battle of Bennington, the surrender of Burgoyne to offer up their Thanksgiving; and<br><br> Whereas, in the first Meeting House of Bennington the Legislature of Vermont met on eight separate occasions, and the laws for carrying on the Government of this sovereign state were enacted at the Meeting House on February 11, 1779; and the convention, consisting of one Delegate from each Town, Held in Bennington on January 10, 1791, ratified the Constitution of the United States by the signatures of 105 out of 109 Delegates, thereby preparing the way for the admission of Vermont into the Union as the first state after the Original Thirteen; and<br><br> Whereas, the burial ground, surrounding the aforementioned church structure is the first and oldest cemetery in the state, where lie the remains of five Governors of Vermont, seventy-five Revolutionary Soldiers, the author of Vermont's Declaration of Independence, the founder of the Vermont Gazette, the Patriots who fell at the Battle of Bennington, The Hessian prisoners who died of their wounds in the First Meeting House converted into a temporary hospital, together with scores of others who labored for the stability and prosperity of Vermont; now, therefore, be it<br><br> Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives: <br><br> That the aforesaid Bennington Center Cemetery and the aforementioned First Church Building are hereby Declared to be <b><i> Vermont's Colonial Shrine</i></b> for the preservation of the sacred memories and traditions of Colonial Days, in order that our children's children may cherish the great deeds of our fathers and build on the foundations laid by them the commonwealth of the future.<br><br>