TERMS OF USE & LEGAL DISCLAIMER
Last updated: September 27, 2026
Who we are and agreement to these terms
Vermonter.com (the “Site”) is owned and operated by Alpine Web Media LLC, d/b/a Vermonter.com Publishing, a Vermont limited liability company, PO Box 90, South Hero, Vermont 05486 (“Vermonter,” “we,” “our,” or “us”). These Terms of Use (“Terms”) apply to everyone who visits or uses the Site (“you”). By accessing or using the Site, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.
Nature of our content: history, folklore, and legend
Vermonter.com publishes articles about Vermont history, people, places, travel, culture, folklore, legends, ghost stories, and reported paranormal or unexplained events.
Legends and hauntings are presented as told. When we describe a haunting, curse, legend, or unexplained event, we are reporting what has been said, written, or claimed over time. We do not assert that supernatural events occurred. Where we can distinguish documented history from legend, we try to say so. Many of these stories exist in several versions, and details differ between tellings.
Historical information may be incomplete. We research carefully, using public records, historical works, newspapers, published accounts, interviews, and our own reporting. Historical records are often incomplete, contradictory, or wrong, and new information comes to light. Our content reflects our understanding at the time it was written.
For general information and entertainment only. Nothing on the Site is legal, financial, medical, real estate, or other professional advice. Do not rely on the Site as your only source for any decision.
Real people, places, and private property
Our articles often mention real people, living and deceased, and real places, including homes, businesses, cemeteries, and other private property. The mention of any person, family, owner, occupant, business, or property in connection with a legend, ghost story, rumor, or historical event is not a statement of fact about that person or property and does not state or imply any wrongdoing, illness, or other fact about them. Opinions expressed in our articles are identified as the author’s opinions.
Respect private property. Many locations described on the Site are private property or have restricted access. Nothing on the Site grants permission to enter any property. Do not trespass, disturb residents, damage property or grave sites, or visit sites after hours. Obey all posted signs and laws. You are solely responsible for your own conduct and safety when visiting any location.
If an article identifies you or your property and you have a concern, please contact us as described in Section 9. We give these requests careful consideration.
Personal accounts from contributors
Some articles include personal accounts, recollections, photographs, or interviews shared with us by residents, readers, and other contributors. These accounts are published with the contributor’s permission and reflect the contributor’s own experiences, recollections, and opinions. We do not independently verify every detail of a personal account, and their inclusion does not mean we endorse them as factual. Some names and identifying details may be changed or omitted to protect privacy.
How we write and credit our sources
Our articles are written in our own words, drawing on multiple sources. Historical facts, events, ideas, and traditional legends are not owned by any one writer, and many writers have told versions of the same Vermont stories. Where a particular writer, researcher, or organization informed an article, we aim to credit them. Direct quotations are marked and attributed. Brief quotations are used for purposes of history, commentary, criticism, and reporting, consistent with fair use under U.S. copyright law (17 U.S.C. § 107). Material published before 1931 is generally in the public domain in the United States and may be quoted at greater length, with credit.
We may use software tools, including spelling, grammar, plagiarism-checking, and AI-assisted research and editing tools, in preparing content. All content is reviewed, fact-checked, and edited by our author before publication.
Our copyright and your use of the Site
Unless otherwise noted, all original articles, text, photographs, graphics, and the selection and arrangement of content on the site are © 1996–2026 Alpine Web Media LLC, d/b/a Vermonter.com Publishing, and are protected by U.S. and international copyright law. All rights reserved. Content credited to others remains the property of its owners.
You may view the Site for your personal, non-commercial use. You may link to any page and quote a brief excerpt (up to about 50 words) with a credit and a link to the original article. You may not otherwise copy, republish, sell, scrape, or distribute Site content, including photographs, or use it to train artificial intelligence systems, without our written permission. “Vermonter” and “Vermonter.com” are names used by us to identify our publications; do not use them in a way that suggests our endorsement.
Stories, photos, and comments you submit
If you send us a story, account, photograph, comment, tip, or other material (“Submission”), you:
confirm that the Submission is your own original work or that you have the right to share it, and that it is truthful as to your own experiences; confirm that you have permission from any identifiable person shown or described, where needed, and that you are at least 18 years old (or have a parent or guardian’s permission);
grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual license to use, edit, adapt, publish, and distribute the Submission, with or without your name, in any media now known or later developed, including on the Site, in books, and in promotional materials; and agree that we are not obligated to publish, credit, return, or pay for any Submission.
For personal stories we plan to feature in an article or book, we may also ask you to sign a separate written release. If a signed release exists, its terms control.
Comments must be respectful and lawful. We may edit, refuse, or remove any Submission or comment at our discretion, including anything defamatory, harassing, hateful, obscene, infringing, spam, or that reveals private information about others. Comments reflect the views of their authors, not ours.
Advertising, affiliate links, and external links
The Site may display advertising and may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. Links to other websites are provided for convenience. We do not control and are not responsible for the content, accuracy, products, or practices of other websites or advertisers.
Corrections and content concerns: please contact us first
We want the Site to be accurate and fair. If you believe any content is inaccurate, invades your privacy, uses your work without credit or permission, or otherwise concerns you, you agree to notify us in writing before taking any other action, and to allow us at least thirty (30) days to review and respond.
Use the Contact Us form at Vermonter.com with the subject line “Content Concern,” or write to us at the address in Section 17. Please include: (1) the article title and web address; (2) the specific statement or passage; (3) what you believe is wrong and why; (4) any supporting documents, or for a concern about your own writing, where your original work was published and the specific passages you believe are similar; and (5) your name and contact information.
We review every concern. When we find an error we correct it and, where appropriate, note the correction on the article. We may also add a credit, revise a passage, remove identifying details about a private person, or remove content. We may decline to make changes when information is accurate and properly sourced.
Copyright complaints (DMCA)
We respect the intellectual property of others. If you believe material on the Site, or on a website hosted by Alpine Web Media LLC, infringes your copyright, send a written notice to our designated agent that includes: (1) your physical or electronic signature; (2) identification of the copyrighted work; (3) identification of the allegedly infringing material and its web address; (4) your name, address, telephone number, and email; (5) a statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and (6) a statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the owner’s behalf.
Designated agent: William M. Alexander, Alpine Web Media LLC, PO Box 90, South Hero, VT 05486.
If you believe material was removed by mistake, you may send a counter-notice as provided in 17 U.S.C. § 512(g). A person who knowingly makes a material misrepresentation in a notice or counter-notice may be liable for damages under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f). We may remove content and terminate access for repeat infringers.
No warranties
THE SITE AND ALL CONTENT ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE,” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, TIMELINESS, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES. Travel details, hours, directions, and access information may change; confirm them directly before visiting any location.
Limitation of liability
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, NEITHER VERMONTER, ALPINE WEB MEDIA LLC, NOR ITS MEMBERS, AUTHORS, OR CONTRIBUTORS WILL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS, INJURY, OR DAMAGE ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF OR RELIANCE ON THE SITE, ITS CONTENT, OR ANY VISIT TO A LOCATION DESCRIBED ON THE SITE. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM RELATING TO THE SITE WILL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100). Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so some of these limits may not apply to you.
Indemnification
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Vermonter, Alpine Web Media LLC, and its members, authors, and contributors from any claims, losses, damages, and expenses (including reasonable attorney’s fees) arising from your Submissions, your violation of these Terms, your violation of anyone else’s rights, or your conduct in visiting any location described on the Site, including trespass.
Governing law and where disputes are resolved
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Vermont and applicable federal law, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. After following the notice process in Section 9, any legal action relating to the Site or these Terms must be brought in the state or federal courts located in Vermont, and you consent to their jurisdiction. Any claim relating to the Site must be brought within one (1) year after it arises, to the extent the law allows this limit.
Changes, severability, and entire agreement
We may update these Terms at any time by posting a revised version with a new “Last updated” date. Your continued use of the Site after changes are posted means you accept them. If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest remains in effect. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver. These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any signed release, are the entire agreement between you and us about the Site.
Books and other publications
Books published by Vermonter.com Publishing contain their own copyright and disclaimer notices, which apply to those books. The principles in Sections 2 through 5 apply equally to our books.
Contact
Alpine Web Media LLC, d/b/a Vermonter.com Publishing · PO Box 90, South Hero, Vermont 05486 ·