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Vermont Legends, Myths, Hauntings and Ghost Stories
We've compiled a special collection of Vermont oddities, myths and legends along wth a ghost story or too. If you think the weirdest experience you've had in Vermont is strolling down Church St., think again. Some of the articles below are sure to curl your toes. Also, when truth is stranger than fiction, there are quite a few skeletons hidden in Vermont's closet.
One man's Insurance against premature burial in Vermont
Things are looking up...for someone who's been dead for over 100 years.
Discover Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven, Vermont, final resting place of Timothy Clark Smith, whose 1893 crypt includes a window to help him escape in case he was buried alive.
Curse of the Brunswick Springs
Ripley's Believe it or Not called it the "Eighth Wonder of the World" in 1984. To Abenaki American Indians, it is a sacred spot with natural healing powers. Over the last two centuries, people with enterprising ideas have envisioned it as a place of business. Four hotel fires later, they were left to wonder: was it coincidence that led to their failure, or the curse of Brunswick Springs?
The Hayden House, Albany, VT.
Legend has it that many years ago the entire Hayden family perished as victims of a curse. Ghostly lights in the formerly abandoned property, overturned gravestones in the Albany cemetery, phantom violins playing in the moonlight. Actually, Dwight Dow, one of the Hayden family's descendents set me straight with the facts for a school project back in the late 70's.
Words from Dwight himself: "Ghosts? Hell no!!! Just some drunk passin' by in the middle of the night making up things. They had a ballroom floor, on springs, for dancing but they weren't no ghosts or none of that. Who's the damn fool that told you that anyway?"
Note: Dwight Dow passed away a couple years after the discussion.
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.
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.
