This episode is the beginning of a short series on haunting forests and the tales they hold. Today, we’ll begin with The Bennington Triangle.
Throughout time, literature has used forests to symbolize the unknown, the wild, and the forbidden. Some believe that the folklore and legends surrounding forests are merely tales dreamed up to keep the young from getting lost or harmed. Still, what if I told you that some woods had garnered more than spooky campfire tales—some are downright terrifying and have earned the warning—enter at your own risk.
In lieu of a piece of my own short fiction today, I thought sharing a brief excerpt of Shirley Jackson’s Hangsaman would be more relevant… more on why later in the episode.
“It isn’t any single thing.” Mrs. Waite repeated earnestly, the tears on her cheeks, “It’s just that—well, look, Natalie. This is the only life I’ve got—you understand? I mean, this is all. And look what’s happening to me. I spend most of my time just thinking about how nice things used to be and wondering if they’ll ever be nice again. If I should go on and on and die someday and nothing was ever nice again—wouldn’t that be a fine thing? I get to feeling like that and then I think I’ll make things be nice, and make him behave, and just make everything all happy and exciting again the way it used to be—but I’m too tired.”
Shirley Jackson, Hangsaman
What makes forests so spooky?
Before we get into the terrifying forests, we need to talk about what makes the woods so spooky to begin with. Why do so many folktales include the forest as a setting? Well, forests are naturally wild. Their wiry branches extend like skeletal arms above their inhabitants, blocking light and creating shadows and darkness on everything and everyone beneath.
And the noises are creepy too. Have you ever walked by yourself in the woods? It’s an eerie feeling to hear rustling leaves, snapping branches, and unseen animals both near and far. My dad told me a story once about being stalked by a panther while walking home from school in Florida. The thought of being alone and hearing something following you is not the kind of vulnerability any of us are going for.
Because we’re alone and in a wild environment, our imaginations don’t help us. It’s not difficult for our minds to conjure up wicked monsters or scenarios for how detectives will explain to our families how we’ve gone missing. No doubt, we’ll have spun some frightening tales on our simple stroll through the dark woods.
It’s no wonder we can easily summon images of the boogeyman and evil creatures in the shadows and whispers of the forest—we have grown up hearing innumerable tales of how dangerous the forest is. By stepping foot in one, we’re reminded of all the warnings we’re not heeding at that moment. We’re on high alert.
What about people who love time in the wilderness?
Of course, there are those who enjoy spending time in the woods. I’m one of those people. I think there’s a great strength to facing the vulnerable setting and connecting with nature with all its light and shadow. Hiking through the forest is almost like shadow work for me. I find strength there, but I cannot tell you how many times I’ve felt fear there too, and those fears are not unfounded.
Your fears of the forest are not unfounded.
The Bennington Triangle
Bennington Triangle is an area in southwestern Vermont where five people went missing between 1945-1950. It’s reportedly centered on Glastenbury Mountain. The first disappearance occurred on November 12th, 1945, when 74-year-old Middle Rivers went missing while out hunting. He and his son-in-law, Joe, were walking together when they reached a fork in the path. Rivers told him he was only going a short distance and would rejoin him at camp for lunch. Rivers never returned. An extensive search took place, but only a single rifle cartridge was found in a nearby stream, which people believed was merely accidentally dropped by Rivers. Rivers was an experienced outdoorsman who knew the area well.
The very next year, 18-year-old Paula Weldon disappeared on December 1st, 1946. She was a sophomore at Bennington College. She had reportedly set out on a hike on the Long Trail. Several people saw her leave, including a local newspaper employee, Ernest Whitman, who had given her directions. The weather was quite chilly, but Paula only wore a light red jacket. The highs were in the 50s but dropped to 9 degrees that evening. An elderly couple spotted her on the trail. She was about 100 yards in front of them. They said she’d turned a corner on the trail, and when they reached the same corner, she was no longer in sight. A massive search ensued, including a monetary reward. Even the FBI got involved. No evidence was ever found.
Theories swirled about what could have happened to her. Some claimed she committed suicide because of family problems, while others pointed fingers at fellow students.
Interestingly, the famed author Shirley Jackson and her husband, Stanley Hyman, lived in Bennington at the time of Paula’s disappearance. Hyman was actually a professor at Bennington College, where Paula attended. Jackson devoured the papers surrounding Paula’s disappearance. She was even inspired to pen her novel Hangsaman because of it. In 2014, Susan Scarf Merrell introduced a possible connection between Hyman and Paula in her novel Shirley. There is no existing evidence of an actual relationship between them, but it introduces another possible theory about what could have happened to her (even if it came from a fictional story).
Three years to the day of Paula’s disappearance, the Triangle took another victim—James E. Tedford. He had been visiting relatives in St. Albans and was taken to a local bus station. Witnesses saw him get on the bus, and he was still on the bus at the last stop before arriving in Bennington. Somewhere between that stop and Bennington, James seemingly vanished into thin air. His luggage was still on the bus, and an open bus timetable was on his empty seat. No trace of him was ever found.
Eight-year-old Paul Jepson was the next victim on October 12th, 1950. He and his mother rode in a truck. His mother left him in the truck playing while she went to feed some pigs. About an hour later, she returned, but there was no sign of Paul. Paul was wearing a red jacket, which should have helped spot him. A search was performed, and a dog could pick up on his scent until it reached a nearby crossroads. This could mean that he was picked up by a vehicle. His father reportedly said he may have finally succumbed to “the lure of the mountains.” His father claimed he’d “talked of nothing else for days” before disappearing and becoming another missing piece to the Bennington Triangle mystery.
A few weeks later, on October 28th, 1950, 53-year-old Frieda Langer disappeared. She and her cousin Herbert left their campsite near Somerset Reservoir to go on a hike. During the hike, she slipped and fell into a stream. She told her cousin she’d return to camp, change into dry clothes, and catch up with him. When she never returned, her cousin returned to camp only to find out she’d never made it back. Five searches took place with no signs of Frieda.
Unlike the other victims, the mountain gave Frieda up on May 12th of, 1951. Her body was discovered three and a half miles from the campsite. Strangely, that area had been searched right after her disappearance. Unfortunately, the Triangle wasn’t about to reveal its secrets. Her body was so decomposed that coroners couldn’t establish a cause of death.
Was foul play involved? Or a serial killer?
With this many disappearances happening in the same region, it’s logical to wonder if this could be the hand of a serial killer. The ages, sex, and lack of other evidence make it difficult to point to a serial killer. Although, it’s a possibility.
Legends About Glastenbury Mountain
According to Joseph A. Citro, the author of Passing Strange: True Tales of New England Hauntings and Horrors, legend has it that the mysterious whisperings about the eerie Glastenbury Mountain go all the way to the indigenous people, who claimed it was cursed. They refused to step foot on the mountain. The only way they’d be there was to bury their dead. They claimed the mountain was cursed because the “four winds” met there in an eternal struggle.
Another myth from the natives of Vermont is that the stone at the top of the mountain is enchanted and could swallow a person whole.
Throughout history, there were tales of an eight-foot-tall hairy monster roaming the area, sightings of a “wild man” and UFOs, and mysterious murders. Who can say what—if any—mysterious happenings could hold the truth to these disappearances?
Here’s what we know…
– Two of the victims were wearing red when they disappeared: Paul and Paula. (Erm, Little Red Riding Hood, anyone?)
– Two victims disappeared three years—to the day—apart: Paula and James.
– All five victims disappeared around 3-4 in the afternoon.
– All of them disappeared sometime during the last three months of the year.
– The terrain is very rough.
– The weather can change on a dime, thanks to the winds we discussed earlier.
Have other mysterious disappearances or deaths occurred there since?
I dug around to see if I could find any records of disappearances that have occurred there since, but it doesn’t seem that there are any (at least that I could find). However, in 2008, a man named Robert Singely got lost in a dense fog and was forced to spend the night in the woods. He was able to survive by building himself a fire. Despite being an experienced hiker, he walked 5 miles in the wrong direction, finding himself on the other side of the mountain from his car. Thankfully, he made it out of the Triangle alive.
Truth is always stranger than fiction. So, while we may never know what really happened to the missing victims of the Bennington Triangle, the legends and questions they’ve left behind serve as yet another warning not to enter the mysterious arms of the forest in Vermont.
Music:
Ghostpocalypse – 6 Crossing the Threshold Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
“Awkward Meeting” by Kevin MacLeod (license purchased).
