Abandoned Houses Revisited

Yesterday, my niece and I revisited a few abandoned houses and took some pretty cool pictures. 

My beautiful niece 

Moretown was our first destination.  I decided not to take a picture of this house [which would have been a great shot covered with snow and it was snowing] but, because there were fresh foot prints in the snow, leading to the front door.  I told my niece that there may be possibly someone in the house and we simply got back into the car and drove off.  I didn't want to scare her, but in all honesty - who knows who or what could have been inside! The picture below was taken this fall.

So, off we went - south to North Randolph - to a house that was a victim of a pretty severe fire. I posted this on an earlier blog, and photographed an "apparition" that was explainable.  The house is an empty shell -  abandoned, and obviously, no one has attempted restoration.  The front door was off it's hinges, leaning outside of the threshold.  We walked in.  You can clearly see that the back of the building suffered the worst of the blaze.  I had been here before, but never went upstairs, or any farther than the front room.  Today, we were braver and wandered in.

Check out a few of these pictures out in monochrome (black and white photography):

This past summer I took the same picture at this house (below) and an apparition appeared in it.  Today, no such luck.  And, strangely, neither my niece nor I wanted to venture into the basement....sigh....maybe next time. 
(See previous Moretown post in this blog).

Off again, still going south on Route 14, we next went to an abandoned house in East Bethel.  

We stopped at this graveyard on the way and discovered this tiny grave stone with the last name "Eddy" and took a picture.  (Just in case it was a relative.)

It is difficult to try to make out the words, but I think it reads "Azro & Louisa" - Across the top is "EDDY" 

We stopped to look at this amazing mushroom growing from a tree... and deemed it a fairy house...We determined that the fairies have crawled deep inside its home for the winter.... and then....

....to the abandoned house in East Bethel.  Again, the door was open, but we didn't go in.  As you can see, windows are broken, and there was a new-ish boat sticking out of a door-less garage.  It gave us pause that someone may be around.  We really wanted to go in and take pictures...it just looks haunted.... and apparently being spooked runs in the Hinckley blood.  ***smiles***

When we looked into a window that was apparently a living room, there were new blankets on the couch, as if someone had just rose from them, and a brand new bottle of cider vinegar on a table.  That was all I remember, as I turned and told my niece that we should leave.  But we did take some good pictures before driving away!

The front porch is a wonderful tangled mass of vine

Well, that was a bust.  I really, really want to go in and take pictures.  Maybe I will ask a neighbor about the place, or inquire at the Town Hall to get permission to go in.  

Back in the car, we headed north and ended up in Willamstown.  After talking with the Town Clerk, we got permission to wander around this abandoned property and take pictures.  

Obviously, this is a copyright picture, but it was the only picture I could find of the Inn restored.  All rights reserved to Mr. Douglas Keister.

This house was built in the 1898  by Mr. George Beckett, and was referred to as such until new owners from Connecticut purchased the building in 1987, and it became the "Rosewood Inn".  George Becket was a very well respected man, who served as Williamstown's Town Clerk, a Public Notary and Town Treasurer, he was also a Deacon of the Congregational Church and it's Treasurer.  He was also a Justice of the Peace, and a Legislative Representative.  His wife's name was Arabel Ruth [Flint] Becket.

Through an act of legislature on November 23,1896, George Beckett, and his associates incorporated a business called the "Beckett Water Supply Company", which was solely responsible for the building, conveyance and maintenance of the Town's aqueduct, springs,  reservoir and water pipes, which supplied the Town's water.   

Through the end of the 1980's, the building was lovingly restored to its former glory, and gave Main Street a refreshing lift.  The Inn served meals and accommodated the weary, but only for a very short time. The owners left the site, still pay their annual property taxes, but the lovely building is rapidly falling into ruin, for the past 26 years.  It is really quite a shame.   

In 1992, this house was actually featured as the only Vermont property in America's "Painted Ladies".

Locals now claim, and some have witnessed an apparition of a girl peeking out of the upstairs windows, and then fades from sight.

The urban legend now claims that she is looking for a lost cat.  I would love to know how this story began!