Where is Ethan Allen?
In life, Ethan Allen was a controversial Revolutionary War hero that history often describes as fiercely independent, a bit crude, brash and undoubtedly, daring. Allen was no military genius, rather an overbearing, loud-mouthed braggart. He was also a staunch patriot who apparently did not know the meaning of fear. George Washington would write of Allen, "There is an original something about him that commands attention." On May 10, 1775, Ethan Allen with Benedict Arnold at his side led the Green Mountain Boys to capture Fort Ticonderoga on the New York side of Lake Champlain.
But where is this legendary figure now? It is known that he died on February 12, 1789, two years before Vermont was admitted into the Union. What most people believe is that his body rests under the eight-foot statue and the 35-foot granite column at Green Mount Cemetery in Burlington, VT. It’s very easy to find. The monument is the tallest and most prominent one in the state. The whole structure stands upon a solid foundation of marvelous stone work. However, errors in the cemetery records indicate that Allen was actually buried 40 feet away from the site first identified as his grave. Archaeologists excavated the area around Allen’s grave, based on the cemetery plot map and found nothing at all. Many theories from grave robbers to a secret burial elsewhere are merely guesses. The truth is nobody really knows, for certain, where Ethan Allen is buried.
A farmer’s work is never done – even in death, at least that is what I like to joke about when I tell people about the old farmer who lived in my farmhouse several decades ago. I’m fond of telling people that he still roams the halls of the two and a half story farmhouse. During the early months of 2005, something happened that made me think, at least for a moment, that my joke wasn’t a joke after all. By Scott Wheeler.
Ghosts still visit the Cahoon Farm in Lyndon
My children swear I didn’t tell them about the ghosts before we settled into what I’ve come to learn is one of Lyndon’s most famous haunted houses. Maybe that’s true. Their father had died, and I was eager to move from Connecticut, and didn’t feel that a few spirits lingering about should deter us. But in truth, I didn’t put much stock into the stories the realtor told me anyway. By Denise Brown.
 The Hope Cemetery, Barre, VT.
Hope Cemetery. This is the only cemetery where I have actually seen tourists go and take photos next to the monuments. Probably for good reason as this is one of the most fantastic displays of granite that you'll ever see. Monuments such as the huge soccer ball, airplane, the trucker and perhaps the most unusual of all...two people side-by-side, holding hands in bed. Plus, life size statues and more. Take a look for yourself as a whole gallery of Hope Cemetery photos are now available.
Hey Ghostbusters! Looking for ghost stories? Here's a whole page of Vermont ghost stories and hauntings.
Crosses Burned in Vermont
Although many refuse to discuss it, or even acknowledge the fact, it is true that Vermont history includes a period of involvement with the Ku Klux Klan. At the time, in the 1920s, Vermont’s leading citizens were certainly included in the numbers. In St. Johnsbury, the minister of the Congregational Church delivered a sermon on "The Psychology of the Ku Klux Klan" where he reasoned that the cross-burnings and bonfire rallies must have some justification or else they would not have caught on so rapidly. Soon, there were enough members there to get a legal charter and stage a public meeting in a field outside of town where over two thousand klansmen gathered, most in full regalia, many with faces covered. Similar gatherings took place in Windsor, Springfield and elsewhere. By the mid-twenties, more than 14,000 Vermonters in Chittenden, Washington, Orange and Caledonia counties had paid the $10 initiation fee, making the klan a force to be reckoned with politically. Calvin Coolidge, running for president, stated that he was not a member of the KKK, but “Silent Cal” was true to form in refusing to condemn the klan by name. And while several towns including Burlington passed local ordinances that forbid wearing masks in public for the purpose of reigning in the klan’s activities, a similar statewide statute was killed in the senate in Montpelier.
The Pipe-Smoking Fisherwoman of Newport, VT
During the first thirty years of the twentieth century, fisherwoman Maggie Little was the most photographed person in Newport, VT, on Lake Memphremagog. She was most certainly one of Newport's best known residents. Maggie was born in Bolton, Quebec, on November 12, 1842. Her parents moved to a farm in the USA when she was very young. At barely five feet tall, she didn't have the stamina for farm work. She loved fishing though and enjoyed an independent lifestyle. Perhaps for these reasons, she left the farm early to relocate to Newport.
People could say many things about Little, but they surely couldn't call her camera shy. She was a woman of many hats. She never went to school and was considered a vagrant. Her favorite fishing spot was on the Canadian Pacific railway bridge. She always wore the same clothes: a long skirt with an apron over it that was perpetually in need of washing. Even though she was constantly near the water it obviously wasn't to do her laundry. And truth be told, fishing is not the passion of a perfumer.
Perched on a barrel, always at the same place, she would fish from morning until night, pipe clamped in her teeth. Folks getting off the train would walk her way to take her picture, as she was only a few hundred feet from the station.
Maggie was a compulsive smoker, and would often demand a handout to feed her habit before posing. When she ran out of tobacco, she was even known to split a cord of wood to earn money for more. It seems she was a victim of tobacco addiction and it was her overriding obsession. She sold the fish she caught to feed her habit. If a pipe smoker was around, she would pretend she didn't have any tobacco. Few walked away without giving her a pipeful. Maggie always lived the life of a recluse. She liked to drink beer from a bottle and was fond of the illegal hooch made by W.H. Darling & Son, who legally made soda pop.
Maggie died in 1934, at 91, and could certainly have starred in commercials for the tobacco companies. She did come from long-lived stock, though; her mother predeceased her in 1927 at 103 years old. A lot of water will run under the railway bridge in Newport before there will be the likes of Maggie Little again?
Will That Be One Hump or Two?
 The last thing anyone driving along scenic Route 7 in Ferrisburgh, VT. would expect to see is a camel. That’s right a camel…with two humps. The Bactrian camel, named Ollie, is part of what Judith Giusto, owner of Round Barn Merinos, a farm and shop in the small, northern Vermont village, calls her “fiber zoo.” Judith obtained Ollie in September 2002, when he was just two months old. She decided on a Bactrian camel with two humps rather than a Dromedary, which only has one hump. The down from Ollie’s coat, along with the fibers from over 100 merino sheep are used to create sweaters, scarves, afghans and many other pieces of warm clothing, a must during the cold Vermont winters.
With the Camel’s Hump mountain range looming in the distance, perhaps Ollie the camel isn’t really all that out of place. As a matter of fact, despite the bewildered double-takes by passing motorists, he fits in to the Vermont landscape quite well indeed.
Devil Cats of Vermont
Some folks call them devil cats while others call them a beautiful creationof nature. Vermont history is full of accounts regarding mountain lions prowling the woods and forests of Vermont. Supposedly, the last Catamount was shot in the town of Barnard in 1181. The species was all but exterminated by the end of the 19th century.
Yet, Catamount sightings persist, with the first recorded sighting near Craftsbury, VT in 1942. Since 1990, sightings have increased. Some believe that the state of Vermont knows of the Catamount’s existence and there is a conspiracy or cover up. According to the VT Department of Wildlife, there is no evidence supporting the existence of the legendary cat in the Green Mountains of Vermont.
Legend of “Johnny Seesaw”
Johnny Seesaw's was built in 1920 by Russian logger, Ivan Sesow. Sesow called his enterprise "The Wonderview Log Pavilion" and began the legend with his wild Saturday night dances, homemade moonshine and rumored sin cabins out back. Throughout the roaring 20's, thanks to Prohibition, few lawmen and many loggers, "the Legend of Johnny Seesaw's" continued to grow. Around 1930, Sesow apparently bet the dance hall in one of his famous poker games, and lost. The buildings were sold and remained unused for some eight years.
In 1938 Bill and Mary Parrish bought the run-down property, constructed bunkrooms, installed plumbing, electricity, a kitchen and central furnace, and renamed one of the first ski lodges in the United States "Johnny Seesaw's." For the next four decades Johnny Seesaw's catered to thousands of skiers including a President of the United States, the first aviator to cross the Atlantic, Charles Lindbergh, and a bevy of famous and infamous personalities. At the beginning of World War II the concept of army ski troops originated at Johnny Seesaw's and eventually became the 10th Mountain Division. For forty years, Seesaw's, a renowned Ivy League hangout, offered lodging by referral only. If you didn't know someone who had stayed here, you didn't stay here.
Slipperyskin – Bear, Bigfoot, or Indian?
In the 1700s the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont was (and still is to a certain degree) frontier country. It was inhabited by woodsmen, hunters, trappers, and fishermen extended families, mostly Wabanaki, but also a few sturdy others. It is told that it was also the haunt of Slipperyskin, a bear, which is supposed to have caused a general misery among the settlers. His name Slipperyskin was because he managed to elude every trap that was ever set for him. The Indians knew him and called him Wejuk or Wet Skin.
The story is told that an old bear once terrorized Lemington, VT for many years and committed wholesale destruction. He was a mean animal, and evidently had a grudge against humans. He destroyed their fences, ripped up their gardens, frightened their cows and sheep, tromped through the cornfields and caused no end of mayhem.
He was a huge bear, the stories relate, and he always ran on his hind legs and never on all fours. Before a hunter could lay his gun sights on him, the old bear would vanish into the woods as silent and swift as a drift of smoke.
He is said to have left tracks as big as wagon wheels, and for what it is worth, it is told he squeezed the sap out of maple trees when he felt so inclined. For maliciousness and cunning, it was claimed he could never be compared, except to humans. He seemed to enjoy himself immensely, frightening people and livestock, kicking over manure piles and throwing stones into machinery left in fields. Where the old bear came from, and why he eventually disappeared entirely is a mystery.
The Battle of Bennington?
On the afternoon of August 16, 1777 a Revolutionary War battle took place which resulted in an American victory. An American force of 2,000 New Hampshire and Massachusetts militiamen, led by General John Stark with aid from Colonel Seth Warner, along with elements of Vermont's Green Mountain Boys, defeated a combined force of 1,250 dismounted Brunswick dragoons, Canadians, Loyalists, and Native Americans led by Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum. To this day, August 16 is celebrated as a legal holiday in Vermont and a 306 foot tall Bennington Battle Monument commemorates the battle.
The odd thing about this celebrated battle is that it didn’t actually take place in Bennington, VT but around 10 miles away in Walloomsac, NY.
Willoughby Lake Monster and other Oddities
Willoughby Lake is a scenic body of water located in the northern Vermont town of Westmore, nestled between two mountains, Mt. Hor and Mt. Pisgah. In earlier years, the region was a well known and popular destination with several large tourist hotels and much to see and do.
On August 14, 1868, the story of a "lake monster" appeared in the Caledonian newspaper. "It is reported that the great water snake at Willoughby Lake was killed Wednesday of last week by Stephen Edmonds of Newport, VT., a lad of twelve years. Rushing boldly upon the monster he severed its body with a sickle. On actual measurement the two pieces were found to be 23 feet in length."
Perhaps the "monster" could have been a huge eel. A local resident, P.M. "Bun" Daniels of Westmore said that eels have been caught near Gilman Tavern, but none of them would have reached anywhere near the proportions reported by young Stephen Edmonds.
According to local folklore, there is an underground passageway between Lake Willoughby and Crystal Lake in the nearby town of Barton. One local legend states that many years ago, a team of horses crashed through the winter ice on Lake Willoughby only to be found months later during warmer months in Crystal Lake, several miles away.
Vermont's Deep Frozen Folks
Vermonters are a frugal bunch and have been for many generations. In order to save energy during a long, cold Vermont winter, the truly ingenious old-time Vermont natives would find a way conserve food and heat….by freezing their old folks, for the duration of winter, and thawing them out in the spring time!
“A Strange Tale”, describing this unbelievable ritual was published on the front page of the Montpelier Argus and Patriot, on December 21, 1887. The story, reported to be true, tells of a poor, northern Vermont family who had established the idea of putting their elderly and weakest family members into cold storage until they could be thawed out just in time for Spring planting.
Times change and the old traditions have a way of fading out. These days, we Vermonters just buy an extra pair of woolen socks and throw an extra blanket or two on top of Grandpa.
The Town Named After A Cheapskate
Barton, Vermont is named for Colonel (later General) William Barton, best known for having captured the British commanding General Robert Prescott, at Prescott's Rhode Island headquarters in 1777. Prescott's capture lessened the pressure on American General George Washington's forces in New Jersey. Barton, Vermont's namesake, General William Barton, later spent fourteen years in jail in Vermont for refusing to pay a public fine, although people that knew him believed he could have easily paid for it.
The Toughest Town in Vermont
The Boston Evening Transcript headline proclaimed the news on July 29, 1931: “Vermont’s Toughest Town Moves to Rid Itself of Gangsters.” Prohibition was at its height with two more years to go before its repeal by the Twenty-First Amendment. The newspaper reported that gangsters lolled on Depot Street in Lyndonville, VT, parked their rum running cars in plain sight and sometimes gave local teenagers high speed rides on their back road getaway routes.
 The Brookfield Floating Bridge. Brookfield is located just south of Williamstown, in Orange County, VT. It is the site of the famous Floating Bridge, buoyed by 380 barrels - the only floating bridge in Vermont. The 300-foot bridge spans Sunset Lake, which is too deep to support a pillared structure. In 1820, the bridge was made up of floating logs but the logs had to be replaced each year. Tarred barrels then became the solution for a number of years until modern times when they were replaced by plastic barrels filled with Styrofoam.
A Library Straddling Two Countries
If you visit the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Derby Line, VT you may want to have your passport in order. A line of the floor marks the border of the United States on one side and Canada on the other. The library and opera house cornerstone was laid in 1901 and opened on June 7, 1904. The library’s reading room straddles the border between the two countries. There is an unsubstantiated rumor that back in the early 70s the Beatles had planned to meet at the library. John Lennon wasn’t allowed into the USA at the time. Three of the Beatles could have sat on the US side of the line while John could have sat in the same room, just a few inches away, on the Canadian side. Whether or not the Beatles rumor is true, the library is would certainly be a convenient location for an international meeting of the most unusual kind.
A Dual Purpose Coffin
Lysander Barnes was a huge man. He towered six-foot plus in his stocking feet. "Lys" was somewhat of a carpenter. During the 1850's, he was the "Mr. Fix It" of the north end of Stamford, VT.
It suddenly dawned upon Lys one day that at some time he must depart this life, and realizing that he was of generous stature and knowing the inadequacy of the coffin vendors of the nearby city of North Adams, Mass., he set to work to "fix' himself a sturdy box of native pine.
His handiwork completed, as the story goes, Lys climbed in to see that the fit was right. He then stored the coffin until the day of need. Now, Lys was a resourceful Vermont Yankee who could not abide seeing things go to waste. The fact that all that smooth, lovely pine storage space was sitting around with no purpose annoyed Lys. So Lysander decided to utilize the space as a receptacle for beans.
A sawmill and lumberyard was located at the north end of town. Lys sold the beans to the lumbermen and their families, quart by quart. The folks in town laughed, but consumed eighty-four cubic feet of beans apparently without any concern about where the beans had been stored.
Grave Robbing in the New Millennium
In 2005, a Vermont teenager was accused of breaking into a tomb in Morrisville in April, removing the head of a corpse with a hacksaw, and hiding it near his apartment. Police reported that Nicholas Buckalew's friends told them he planned to use the skull for a marijuana bong.
Police could not believe what they had heard. But it was true. Someone had broken into a tomb, broken open the casket and removed a man's head. "We had the funeral director come to the scene and we pulled the casket out. Yes, indeed, we found remains and they had been disturbed," says the Chief. 17-year-old Nicholas Buckalew admitted that he broke into a tomb at the local cemetery, removed the head of the cadaver and brought it to his home. He reportedly told friends he wanted to the use the skull as a water pipe to smoke marijuana. 17 year old Nickolas Buckalew was charged with unauthorized removal of a dead body. He plead innocent and was held for lack of $100,000 bail. Remains and evidence were found in a silo near the suspect's home outside the village and 2/10ths of a mile from the cemetery. Police reported that "Within minutes we found the duffle bug with the remains in it and tools that was used to enter the tomb and the casket."
The victim's widow, the only family member in the area, was told of the vandalism. "The widow was in shock," says the Chief. "She did not want any information. She did not want to know any details."
"He was a peculiar person put it that way. He was peculiar."
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