FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 22, 2024

"Soldiers Atop The Mount" at Mount Independence
Join the annual celebration on August 31 and September 1

ORWELL, Vt. -The Revolutionary War experience is brought to life at the annual "Soldiers Atop the Mount" living history weekend on Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1, 2024 at the Mount Independence State Historic Site in Orwell. Meet reenactors and site interpreters who interact with visitors to honor the soldiers who built and garrisoned Mount Independence in 1776 and 1777 and helped lay the foundation of the new United States of America.

The site is open both days from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Arrive in plenty of time to visit all the stations. Most activities are outside. Visitors should dress for the weather, wear walking shoes, and be prepared to walk, including around the Baldwin Trail area which is handicapped accessible with a compacted stone surface and gentle grades. Below are details about some of the weekend's highlights:

Saturday
Baldwin Trail Walkabout
10:30 - 1:30

Saturday's highlight is the popular Baldwin Trail Walkabout featuring experts at stations throughout the trail and the reenactor camp talking to visitors about Revolutionary War subjects specific to those locations.

Topics include Revolutionary medicine, artillery, how the soldiers lived, caring for their clothes, gunsmithing, and food. Before and after the walkabout, reenactors will demonstrate period life, skills, and military activities and present an afternoon woods skirmish, leading visitors to follow the action.

Sunday
Declaration of Independence reading
11:00 am

Visit the camps and experience the annual reading of the Declaration of Independence, for which Mount Independence is named. After the Declaration of Independence was signed, a copy was sent north. In late July 1777 soldiers heard it for the first time. Reenactors will march down the hill and the Declaration of Independence will be read to them and visitors, alike.

Learn more about Benedict Arnold
2:00 pm

Site interpreter Paul Andriscin will give a talk on Benedict Arnold who was the first commander of the First Brigade on Mount Independence.

Reenactors will be encamped on-site all-day Saturday and will begin packing up early Sunday afternoon. Guests are welcome to call (802) 948-2000 for full schedule details.

Admission to "Soldiers Atop the Mount" includes visiting the museum and is $9.00 for adults, $1.00 for ages 6-14, free for children under 6. The museum shop features an excellent selection of books and other items. Lunch, light snacks, and beverages will also be available for purchase.

Mount Independence is a National Historic Landmark and considered one of the best-preserved Revolutionary War archaeological sites in America. It is located at 497 Mount Independence Road, six miles west of the intersection of Vermont Routes 22A and 73 in Orwell. The site is open daily, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, through October 20.

Learn more about Mount Independence and Vermont's other historic sites by visiting www.HistoricSites.vermont.gov.

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