ROCKINGHAM — They called this Vermont Civil War hero “Aunt Lydia.” Gen. Lewis Addison Grant was also known as “the other Grant,” and this General Grant lived in Bellows Falls.
After a year's hiatus because of the Covid pandemic, the annual pilgrimage to the landmark Rockingham Meeting House will return on Sunday, Aug. 1, at 1 p.m., with a presentation from Civil War historian Howard Coffin.
Grant went to war from Rockingham and became the commander of the Union Army's best brigade, the First Vermont Brigade. Though less well-known than other major Vermont Civil War soldiers, he has been called the state's most important soldier for the Union.
Coffin's talk will examine Grant's life, including his war record, his post-war career, his words, and his unusual nickname.
A seventh-generation Vermonter, Coffin is the author of four books on the Civil War: Something Abides: Discovering the Civil War in Today's Vermont, Full Duty: Vermonters in the Civil War, Nine Months to Gettysburg, and The Battered Stars, as well as Guns Over the Champlain Valley, a book on military sites in Vermont's Lake Champlain corridor.
“Refreshments will be served prior to the pilgrimage, so plan to come early, stroll through the cemetery, and sample some switchel and other treats,” the event organizers write. “There is plenty of room in the building for social distancing, and masks are requested if you are not vaccinated.”
Traditionally, the pilgrimage is the final event of Rockingham Old Home Days and is held in commemoration of the first pilgrimage to the building after it was restored in 1907.
Built in 1787, the building was used for both town and church events. The church services ceased in 1839, and soon after was no longer used by the town for official gatherings.
The building was restored in 1906 and is currently going through another extensive renovation to repair the plaster. Designated a landmark in 2000, it is open all season for tours and for special events such as weddings and concerts.