The staff affectionately call him George, even though Travel to Springfield Vermont, just a stone’s throw
witnesses say he bears an uncanny resemblance to from the New Hampshire border, and you’ll find the
Hollywood legend Robert Redford.
fascinating Hartness House Inn. Built as a pri-
vate home for James Hartness, a prominent Vermont
The second Saturday in September brings the inn’s manufacturer and one term, (1921 to 1923) Governor
Vermont Golden Honey Festival. Part Farmers of Vermont, the inn is a reflection of its creator.
Market, part craft fair, it’s been voted one of the “Top Hartness, who also wore the hats of inventor, pilot and
10 Fall Events” by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce amateur astronomer, designed the Springfield residence
every year since 2014.
with a network of underground tunnels where he could
work in private. His subterranean quarters included
a studio, a library, and a bar stocked with liquor, com-
Golden Stage Inn
fy digs for a curious mind set on burning the midnight
399 Depot Street, Proctorsville, Vermont
oil. Above ground, rooms are graciously appointed, with
furnishings that harken back to a bygone era. It’s easy
to see why former inhabitants, (including Charles
Vermont is a place with so many breweries, we’re often Lindbergh) thoroughly enjoyed their time at the
called, “The Beer Capital of the United States”. I know Hartness House, and why they, along with the governor
of one ghost who would approve. Mary “Ma” Walker, himself, have elected to stay long after they’ve passed on.
whose spirit is said to linger at the historic Norwich Inn.
When Mary and her husband, Charles, purchased the Visitors have reported strange electrical events, incidents
Victorian-style inn in 1920, they immediately found of having their belongings rearranged, or even packed away
themselves going head to head with Prohibition. To stay in their suitcases by an unseen hand. Closet doors open
afloat, “Ma” as patrons called her, began selling beer on on their own, and a few guests have awakened in the night
the sly, from the inn’s cellar.
to hear static voices coming from their mobile phones.
Ghost aficionado or not, you’ll look forward to the inn’s
Years later, it seems she still believes she’s got a stake in farm to table dining, picturesque setting and special
the place. Lodgers staying on the Inn’s third floor have features that include hiking trails, a tavern with live
told staff they had a hard time nodding off to dream- music,
a
telescope
observatory
and
an
land, and many believe it’s because of the unsettling en- astronomy museum.
ergy of the building’s former female owner. I’ve heard she
delights in hanging out in room 20, frightening guests
Hartness House Inn
with her hijinks. She doesn’t restrict her appearances to
30 Orchard Street, Springfield, Vermont
the Inn’s upper levels, though. Her apparition, in a long
black dress, has been spotted gliding about the parlor, the For a place that was built as a summer home, the White
dining room, and even the library. It’s the opinion of House Inn has a lot of fireplaces. Fourteen, to be ex-
many that she’s there to make sure there’s always something act. The Victorian mansion also has a secret staircase, a
flowing at the Norwich Inn, even if it’s just a shower haunted bank vault, and a resident ghost that isn’t keen
seems to have turned on by itself. It’s thought she’s the one on sharing her space, or her name.
tinkering with the sinks and toilets, too. I wonder whether
Ma may be getting a hand with her watery mischief. In Built in 1915 for lumber baron Martin Brown and his
1889, before she ever set foot in the place, a devastating wife, Clara, the White House Inn boasts many authentic
fire destroyed the original hotel, the town’s Union Hall, touches, like original wallpaper hand-printed by French
and several neighboring structures. Enough reason, in my artist Zuber. It’s the kind favored by Marie Antionette,
book, for any spirit at the inn to want to keep something and also by Jacqueline Kennedy, who purchased Zubers’
wet at the ready. The inn has its own hop garden, and their historic scenes of America when she restored the White
superb craft beer is sold only at the Inn. You can enjoy one House in Washington, D.C. Wilmington’s White House is
while relaxing on their historic front porch.
long on charm. If you’re not easily spooked, you may be
able to overlook the unexplainable cold spots, doors that
The Norwich Inn
open by themselves, and visible apparitions. But, if you
325 Main Street, Norwich Vermont
happen to be traveling with a ‘Nervous Nellie’ you might
want to keep mum about the man Mrs. Brown caught
stealing, locked up in the basement vault and left to die.
58 VERMONT
VERMONT
Magazine
62
magazine
FALL 2019