For six weeks starting Monday, the Bennington Battle Monument will be bathed in the colors of the Ukrainian flag to express Vermont’s solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
During this period, the 306-foot-tall state monument will be illuminated in blue and yellow from sunset till 11:59 p.m., the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation announced.
The division described it as a “one-time special illumination event” amid the war between Ukraine and Russia, which invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights estimates that, as of Thursday, nearly 2,000 civilians have been killed in the war and 2,600 have been injured, though the U.N. office believes the actual civilian casualty count is “considerably higher.” Thousands of soldiers on both sides are also believed to have been killed or injured.
Gov. Phil Scott said the monument lighting is a response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s message that the people of Ukraine appreciate acts of solidarity and showings of support from around the world.
“Although on an individual level, there is little any one of us can do, we must continue to come together to show our support,” Scott was quoted in the announcement as saying. “I appreciate the people of Bennington for coming forward with this idea. The State was happy to help make this happen.”
The monument will be lit in blue and yellow starting Monday at 8 p.m.; the event’s last night is on May 26. Organizers are asking people who want to witness the initial lighting to go to the monument no earlier than 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Participants are invited to bring candles and flashlights.
The monument, the tallest manmade structure in Vermont, was completed in 1889 to commemorate the 1777 Battle of Bennington. The battle was a pivotal victory for colonial forces against British soldiers during the American Revolution.
The idea to light up the monument in the Ukrainian flag’s colors apparently came from a Bennington resident, Phil Pappas, just days after the Russian invasion. Bennington Selectboard member Jim Carroll explained that Pappas saw parallels between the experience of the Bennington fighters of 1777 and today’s Ukrainian forces, specifically their battling a “superpower.”
“The similarities between Ukraine and the Battle of Bennington could not be more stark,” said Carroll, one of the project proponents.
The project faced numerous challenges, according to the state Division for Historic Preservation, steward of the Bennington monument since 1953.
One was how to illuminate the structure’s dark-colored stones in blue and yellow. The stones — Sandy Hill dolomite, a blue-gray magnesian limestone quarried in New York — absorb colored lights rather than reflecting them.
“It was not just a matter of changing the light bulbs,” State Historic Preservation Officer Laura Trieschmann said in the news release. “We had to ensure the aging lighting system was up to the task.”
Kirick Engineering Associates of Williston helped the state to identify lighting options for the system that has been in use since 2003. Then, the existing lights were fitted with custom-colored lens adapters produced by Lawrence Ribbecke glass studio of Burlington, using metal frames by Conant Metal and Light, also of Burlington.
Getting approval from the Federal Aviation Administration was also critical, because of the monument’s tapered shape and proximity to the William H. Morse State Airport. Carroll credits state Rep. Mary Morrissey, R-Bennington, for her efforts to get the aviation administration on board.
“She called just about every single day to try to get this done,” Carroll said. The approval took around six weeks, half the length of time the process usually takes.
Morrissey said her wish is that the monument’s special lighting would also signify hope to the Ukrainian people and their supporters.
Others who worked on the project include the village trustees of Old Bennington, Bennington’s legislative delegation and the office of U.S. Rep. Peter Welch.
