It’s often said that you can find freedom in travel. What better way to find that freedom than a visit to the Vermont Statehouse, where you can take a selfie with a full size replica of the Liberty Bell? Find out where to find that famous symbol of freedom in Montpelier, Vermont!

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Vermont State House

Before we get into the liberty bell specifics, let’s introduce you to the Vermont State House. A few fun facts:

• It is the third state house, all at the same location. When the first one got too small, they destroyed it and built a new one. Then a fire happened and they had to start all over again with the current one;
• Part of the marble used in construction is from an ancient African reef which very, very, very slowly moved to Lake Champlain…
• The governor’s chair, the Constitution Chair, was carved from timbers of the frigate U.S.S. Constitution, better known as “Old Ironsides”.

Why Visit the Vermont State House?

If those fun facts weren’t enough to convince you to visit, what about the fact that it is free and part of our national heritage? Or maybe you want to visit every state house in the nation, and found out about the Full sized Liberty Bell Copies which usually are at the state’s capitol.

For us, after visiting the New Hampshire State House in Concord, Vermont was an easy second stop since we live only an hour away. The state house atmosphere is very welcoming, people were hanging out on the front lawn and there was a strong feeling of community. I like how it tries to bring the citizens and the legislators together. We were impressed how high the water had gotten during the 1927 flood. In 2023, they had another big flood, but we haven’t visited yet to compare with this marking.

Touring the Vermont State House

The Vermont state house is one of the oldest and best preserved in the nation. There are different tours available:

• self guided by using their brochure or
• take an audio tour, either on your own phone or on a device provided by the Sergeant at Arms;
• join a guided tour.

Over time, we have used all of these options. When one of the volunteer guides is available, take advantage, they know so much!

We thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the history in the state house. Even more because of the explanations and stories to go with it.

When we visited, the house of representatives was in action. From the public gallery, we took pictures of the cool chandelier and the lotus petals on the ceiling (weighing 500 lbs each!). I just hoped they wouldn’t fall down that day and they didn’t!

Eat Like a Senator!

When we found out there was a cafeteria right in the capitol, we decided to have lunch there. This was our first time having lunch in a capitol building. Later we discovered that the Canadians have much better food at their state houses and we enjoyed scrumptious meals at the Parliamentary Building in Quebec City and at the British Columbia Parliament in Victoria, BC.

The Vermont Liberty Bell Replica

After lunch it was time to search for our next Liberty Bell Replica, which should be in the Vermont History Museum, right next door to the state house.

Vermont History Museum: Home of the Liberty Bell Replica?

We went into the museum and asked for the copy of the Liberty Bell. Looking puzzled, the front desk attendant replied ‘Hmmm, I will have to ask someone about that.’

After a short time, she returned and pointed us down a hallway and towards a security guard. They pointed us down yet another hallway, where in a dusty corner we located our second liberty bell replica! After ooh-ing and ah-ing for a bit and of course after taking pictures, we tried to find the serial number of this particular bell.

Quest for the Serial Number of This Bell

After our first Liberty Bell replica, we realized that every bell has a serial number, and we decided to find the one on the Vermont bell. The only problem was ‘Where was that number?????’ We looked up, we looked down, we looked sideways, nothing!

So we laid down underneath the bell and shone our flashlights looking for it. Still not there. We asked a nice librarian who was walking past and she helped us look. It wasn’t there.

By now, we were ready to give up and continue our day without the serial number… Suddenly, it appeared!!! We now know that the Vermont bell is #45 of the series. And we will know where to look for the number on our future replicas! Persistence and determination are omnipotent!

We felt very accomplished and were ready to take on the other state houses and as many liberty bell replicas as we can find. As of late 2023, we have found 10 of the liberty bells and 12 of the state houses / capitols.

Nearby Geocache

Out of curiosity I looked up when we found a geocache (Capital Crypt) behind this statehouse, which was in 2004, so a few moons ago. It was November and cold and we discovered a skull and we enjoyed the view of the state house from above. This was before I met Tom, so next time we are in Montpelier we will have to show him this trail behind the state house with that cool crypt. It clearly is time to pick up geocaching again!

Conclusion and Other Liberty Bell Copies

That was a fun quest for our second liberty bell replica and by now we have found a bunch more. Have you ever seen (and touched if possible) any of these full size replicas? Let us know in the comments.

Now that you know where the Vermont Liberty Bell is, go check out State Liberty Bells: The Story and The Quest.

Or go directly to

• Massachusetts Locked Up their Liberty Bell
• Washington state’s Liberty Bell is in Tacoma
• New York Didn’t Allow Access
• St Thomas: Second Cruising Bell