Ghost Stories

John W. Smith designed and built a one-lane bridge to provide passage over Gold Brook (so named for flakes of gold that were found on its banks) for residents of nearby Stowe, Vermont in 1844. He dubbed it the Gold Brook Bridge but it is more commonly known as "Emily's Bridge" due to the legend and strange occurrences shrouding the structure. According to the story, a beautiful young woman named Emily (sometimes called Emily Smith) grew up in the town of Stowe at some point in the nineteenth century. She didn't possess the inability to attract a suitor. Her abusive and overprotective family kept her from being courted by any of the young men in town. However, it didn't stop a young handsome man (sometimes known as Donald) from capturing her heart one day why doing chores. Madly in love, Emily introduced him to her parents, but his poverty status dissuaded them from allowing her to be with him. Thus, had the young man dragged from their home while Emily wa...

First of all, I want to apologize for how short this entry is but I only found limited information about this guy. I felt his unusual grave site was worth mentioning here. Something out of a Stephen King novel unusual. Timothy Clark Smith was a world traveler. It was because of his world travels that he requested an unusual grave site. He had a fear of being buried alive. He ended up dieing on Halloween in Middlebury, VT in 1893. He had pre-arranged how he would be buried in a special made grave. His head was positioned under a 6ft cement tube. The tube ends at a 14x14in piece of thick glass. A bell was also placed in his hand. The reason for this is: Smith's face is gazing up through the glass. So that if he was buried alive, he could ring the bell (not that anyone would be able to hear it) and they would be able to see him through the glass. Even if he was buried alive, Smith would probably die from of lack of oxygen before anyone would have able to dig him out. But oh well...

The Gold Brook Bridge was built in 1844 by John W. Smith to allow safe passage over the brook when traveling around the three villages of Stowe, Vermont. However, it wasn't until about 150 years ago did it acquire it's infamous nickname, Emily's Bridge. Supposedly, a young girl name Emily was denied permission to marry the man of her dreams. So, what do forbidden lovers do? They elope. The plan was for her lover to meet her on the Gold Brook Bridge and they would run away together. There was a problem though. Her soul mate never showed. Out of anger and depression, she hung herself from a beam within the bridge. Since that night, it is believed that she haunts the bridge. Like any ghost story, there are different versions of this legend. You would think with such a sad story that Emily's spirit would be harmless, more sad than vengeful. According to many witness reports, that's not the case. Some experiences associated with the bridge include the scratching of p...