Stowe, Vermont
To those who cross the Gold Brook Bridge in Stowe, VT, nothing would seem extraordinary, other than perhaps the lush forest and babbling brook where it's nestled. Cross the bridge at night, and it might be a different story.
The residents know the tales, some have experienced them first-hand, and most will warn visitors to stay away from it after dark. The majority of locals refuse to venture that direction at night.
Perhaps a few strange noises in the quiet woods could be blamed on the running water beneath, the gentle swaying of the old covered bridge in the breeze, or distant, unknown animals. Those that have witnessed the occurences, know these things can't be blamed.
The specter of Emily not only haunts the bridge, she's not shy about letting her presence be known. At times, she's allowed a fleeting glimpse of herself to an unsuspecting visitor, only to vanish again before their very eyes. It may be bearable if this was all she did, however, sh'es been known to shake cars passing through the covered bridge. She's even gone so far as to slash victims with ethereal claws, should they be too daring.
For the last 150 years, Emily has played her pranks, including horses and buggies, when that was the only mode of transportation.
People have reported a woman's voice when there was no woman present, a ghostly figure, and strange lights glowing eerily from a distance.
As with most truly haunted places, photographs taken inside the bridge often come out blurry or with wispy streaks and orbs, if one can get their camera to work in the first place.
In May 2001, the X-project magazine staked out the bridge, hoping to capture undeniable photographic evidence of Emily. Her spirit never appeared, but she was mischievious.
Inside the bridge, equipment malfunctioned. A digital camera shut off repeatedly, seemingly on it's own. A second camera drained it's high quality new batteries within only 40 pictures. The cold, humid air was used as the scientific explanation, yet the group admits proper operation of all equipment when a reasonable distance from the bridge.
There are a couple different stories regarding the death of Emily, each of them a tragic tale.
Emily hung herself from a beam inside the bridge, due to the pain in her life she couldn't bear any longer. The most popular version is that her parents forbade her marriage to the love of her life. While angry and melancholy, she secretly made plans with her lover to meet on the bridge, the connection of the two neighboring towns, and run away to elope. The hour of the lovers' rendezvous came and went, leaving Emily wallowing in self-pity and depression, leading her to suicide. Still angry over being jilted, her spirit stays, letting passers-by know that she still remembers that horrible night, and she still carries the rage.
Yet another version, somewhat similar, still involves being jilted, but at the altar. In anger, Emily took the family wagon and team of horses, and had them racing down the
snow-covered road. At the bridge, she ran them off the embankment, killing herself and the horses in the accident. A slight twist to this version has her unintentionally losing control.
The problem with this legend is that the bridge is neither very high, nor steep, although travelling at high speed with horses and a wagon and no seatbelt (this was 150 years ago), could certainly kill a careless, distraught human being, if impacted the wrong way.
In yet another tale, Emily was on the way to be married, and as she walked across the bridge, a team of horses trampled her, and if so, she may not be aware of her death. But then that wouldn't account for the strong emotions of anger during the spiritual attacks on the bridge.
While the vast majority of the stories depict Emily as young and impressionable, gullible to a fault, there is one that tells of her in a different light -- that of an overweight, less-than-attractive, middle-aged woman who fell madly in a love with man who only cared to use her for one thing. She got pregnant and her father insisted they marry and her lover hangs himself, rather than go through with it. Emily eventually gave birth to twins, and both were stillborn, causing her father to place blame for their sins at her feet, declaring the deaths 'her own fault.' Driven to madness by the accusations and depression over the loss of both her lover and children, Emily then takes her own life.
Whatever the truth, Emily's death was tragic and she continues to cling to our plane, and keeps her emotional baggage as a constant companion. And she's not shy about who she takes her rage out on, if they're in the bridge when she feels like manifesting it.
