A Stopping Stones Commemoration to Margaret "Peg" Bowen

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | Margaret (“Peg”) Bowen was born about 1742 in or near Hadley, Massachusetts. She was enslaved in Bennington from 1772 to 1778. Peg lived and worked at Fay’s Tavern, better known as the Catamount Tavern, during some of the most important years of our state’s and our nation’s history.

Recovering the lost, discarded, and sometimes intentionally erased stories of enslaved persons is a challenge. The Stopping Stones project seeks to unearth these stories, remember the names of the enslaved, and recognize their contributions to our communities as well as acknowledge and work to repair the legacy of slavery.

On Saturday, June 25, the Stopping Stone honoring Peg will be dedicated with a ceremony beginning at 10:00AM at the former site of the Catamount Tavern on Monument Avenue in Old Bennington, followed by a reception at Bennington Museum.

We invite the community to join us as we share and reflect upon Peg’s story. Guest speakers will include Paul Growald, founder of the Stopping Stones project; Dr. Lisa Downing-Forget, physician and Co-Chair of Southern Vermont Health Care’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee; and Dr. Alfredo Medina, Bennington College Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and College Diversity Officer.

In the case of rain, the event will be moved to the Paresky Education Center at Bennington Museum.