Captain Samuel Robinson began clearing land in Bennington on this day in 1761. He knew the Bennington area from camping out on his return to Massachusetts after the French and Indian War.

Robinson fell in love with the land, and decided to settle in that wild terrain that was Bennington, leading others to do so, as well. Credited as the founder of Bennington, Robinson cleared the land and began to build a suitable home.

He and a partner built the first sawmill in East Bennington, and later, a gristmill. Captain Samuel Robinson devoted the rest of his life to Bennington, until his death 57 years later.

Image courtesy the Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh.