True Ghost Story: New Year's Eve in Vermont

The following story is a true tale of somewhat unpleasant paranormal phenomenon I experienced on New Year's Eve while staying overnight with friends at their home in a charming Vermont town. After the second New Years overnight visit, though, I made polite excuses and never stayed there again. Was there a ghost that shared the space in this old home? I will let you decide for yourself.

The First New Year's Eve Overnight

It was 1995 and a life-long friend of my husband (my fiancé then) invited us to spend New Year's Eve in Vermont. They were having a group of local friends over to usher in the New Year and we thought it would be a lot of fun, so we happily accepted the invitation.

My husband visited this home many times and actually spent the night several times, but I had never been here and really did not know my husband's friend, whom I went to high school with, nor had I met his girlfriend or her two young daughters. I will call them Ron and Sue for the sake of the story.

The four of them lived in the old house, which my husband informed me, needed a ton of work, as we made the drive to Vermont that day.

I recall the weather that New Year's Eve day because it was very cold and gray and it started snowing during the drive from Massachusetts to Vermont. When we reached the home, it really looked run down outside, but billowy smoke rose out of the chimney from a woodstove, which instantly lent a welcoming aura. Actually, it was the kind of old house I like; full of that deep-rooted New England character you cannot find anywhere else.

Like many aged homes in New England, we entered the kitchen through an attached shed. The minute I stepped into the shed portion and then into the kitchen, where the host was cooking up a storm, I felt apprehensive. Despite the wonderful smell of meatballs simmering, cookies baking, the heat of the woodstove and the vibrant welcome, I was uneasy, but pushed the feeling aside.

The Dreadful Night

The company was great and shared lots of funny Vermont stories. The beer and wine flowed freely. I indulged in a few glasses of wine in an effort to quell the uncomfortable feeling the home gave me. When the guests left, Sue and I settled in the small living room and watched the ball drop in Times Square on television. I felt more discomfort now that the house was quiet and I suddenly felt very sad and extremely nervous at the same time and of course was sure there was some paranormal activity in the home.

Sitting in the living room, my eyes kept darting to the doorway that led to the hall and the upstairs. I fully expected to see someone or something standing there. I did not have to actually "see" it...I was feeling it and I did not like this because I felt as if "it" were watching me.

It was well after 1 AM when our hosts took us upstairs and said we could sleep in the bedroom of Sue's oldest daughter because she was babysitting and would not be home until morning. We thanked them for the nice night and closed the door to the bedroom.

I quickly told my husband I wanted to go home because I did not like the house at all. He was very surprised and although he understood my discomfort (he is use to that), he convinced me we had to stay the night, which I knew anyway.

My husband fell asleep instantly (my hero) and I hunkered down under the down quilt and blankets. I fell asleep after listening and identifying all the ordinary household night noise like the furnace, the fan on the woodstove downstairs and the dog. I also noted the time, which was 2:10 AM.

At 2:35, I jolted from sleep and saw our bedroom door was open about four inches and in the darkness of the room I had the sense that someone was either, in the room or peering in the partly opened door.

I woke my husband and he said it was probably the dog. I reminded him, I closed the door and it was definitely shut tight. He got up, shut the door himself this time and went back to sleep. I was wide-awake when about a half hour later, the door opened again. I did not hear the handle turn; the door just opened by itself and I was scared that someone would walk in, but there was no one there. I stayed awake for what was left of the early morning hours and was ready to leave at 6 AM sharp and did not hear or see anything else.

The Second New Year's Eve Visit

For the sake of brevity and the rest of this long story, I will try to narrow down the most attention-grabbing part of what I discovered about this home on my second and last overnight visit. I decided to give the house a second go the following New Year's Eve and made the trip there with the idea that I was comfortable with a ghost, or whatever paranormal activity was going on there.

It was just the four of us the second New Years Eve. I felt the same way in the house, but I was ready for it and not quite as nervous, but still felt uncomfortable. Sue and I were having wine in the living room and she was relating the story about moving there to the small Vermont town. She said it was a big adjustment coming there from a city, but she thought it was a much safer place for her girls.

As she said that, she looked nervous and added that, she thought it was safe until "some old lady at the little store down the road scared my daughter (12) by saying crazy people lived in our house once and family members were killed here." Before I could say a word, Sue added that she, too, was very uneasy in the house, but did not want Ron to know.

Sue did not know the history of the house and did not seem interested in looking it up. That night when we went to bed, I anxiously told my husband the story and I told him I just could not sleep here ever again. This time, my husband was awake, too, when the door opened by itself and he had no explanation to offer either.

Apparently, Sue did not care about looking into the home's history because she left Ron shortly after and never returned again. We have visited the house during the day on occasion, but I just cannot stay there overnight. Even during the day, though, the discomfort for me was present, just like the paranormal activity I believe is present.