A brief history of the legends and paranormal activity surrounding SVC and Bennington
Edward Everett moved into the mansion with his wife Amy and their three daughters, shortly after the finish of construction in 1914. Shortly after, Amy Everett drowned in the pool. It is unknown whether her death was an accident, suicide, or murder, but what is strange is that her obituary says she died in March 1917 in their home in Washington, from a “severe operation,” which was the result of a prolonged illness.
Edward married again to Grace Burnap, and they had two daughters together. Grace lived in the mansion for 30 years after Edward’s death in 1929. She then sold it in 1952 to Order of the Holy Cross. It became a seminary until 1974, when it finally became Southern Vermont College.
Here are the reported ghosts that roam around campus:
- Edward and Grace Everett are supposedly two of the ghosts still here. They are typically seen roaming the hall, but never together.
- Supposedly, there is a “Black Hooded Monk” seen typically on the grounds. Not much is known about him, but reports say that you can never see a face, just a dark robed figure.
- The last reported ghost is a White Lady or White Woman. She is usually seen in the mansion and sometimes on the grounds. She is believed to be Edward’s late first wife, Amy Everett.
Bennington
There are quite a few odd goings-on around Bennington. The most popular being “The Bennington Triangle,” a reference to The Bermuda Triangle. It gets its name from the 30-40 disappearances which have supposedly occurred around the area. There have been five certain disappearances that occurred between 1945-1950, these were: MIddie Rivers (74), James Tedford (68), Paul Jepson (8), Paula Weldon (18), and Frieda Langer (53). Frieda Langer was the only person to be found, although she was found dead. Legend says that if you go walking on Long Trail, Glastenbury Mountain, you’re likely to meet the same fate.
There have also been reports of Bigfoot or the Bennington Monster near Glastenbury. In the early 19th century a stagecoach was traveling near Glastenbury in a heavy rain. When the driver stopped to get a look ahead, he noticed large, strange footsteps. He asked the passengers to get out and as they did the stagecoach took a large blow from the side. The stagecoach was hit repeatedly by what the passengers described as a hairy eight-foot tall monster.
Native Americans avoided the allegedly cursed mountain except when burying their dead. According to local Native American folklore, there is an enchanted stone on the mountain that swallows anything that steps on it. Those that hike the trails on the mountain will find how eerily quiet it is, and that all trails stop part of the way up. Not even the animals will venture that far.
Whether or not you’ve heard these stories before, it’s clear that this is a strange place to live. SVC and Bennington are both old, historic places, with undeniably odd pasts.