Is Vermont’s Most Haunted Site Just A Hoax?

Every time I would stop in Vermont, there was always a covered bridge along the way; The Quechee Covered Bridge and the Kissing Bridge at the Vermont Country Store to name a few. You can find hundreds of them on postcards and all-over social media as Vermont is home to more of them than any other state. But there is one that I’ve been to that sticks out above the rest, and there’s a haunted story behind it.  

Built in 1844, The Gold Brook Covered Bridge, better known as Emily’s Bridge, looks like any other covered bridge in Vermont. Located in Stowe, it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. But the story is this: a young woman named Emily goes to the bridge where she was jilted by her lover, then takes her own life off the bridge. However, the story changes depending on who you ask. One says she hung herself off the bridge, another is she jumped off the bridge, she was driving her carriage too fast and went over, so on and so on. Now it’s been said that she haunts the bridge. The dates of when this took place are up for debate; some say it was in the 1800’s while others say the early 1900’s. A little confusing… 

Over the years, visitors claim to have witnessed some paranormal activity, such as scratches randomly appear on cars that have crossed the bridge, scratches on pedestrians, and apparitions, all happening mostly  during the night hours of midnight and 3 am. And just like every other paranormal site I’ve researched, every ghost hunter from here to the Pacific has been there to investigate and document their experience.  

The problem is, there is not a shred of historical evidence to prove Emily was ever a real person. One person has admitted to fabricating the story in the 1970’s, and local historians have all suggested that it’s just an old wives’ tale. Yet, people still insist that they have experienced the unexplained at this site, while many others have been there without incident.  

Despite the legend behind it, the Gold Brook Covered Bridge is just another charming New England bridge on a brook. It would be a great story line for a horror movie, and it’s a great pic to post on Instagram. It can be whatever you want it to be. Even though there is nothing to back up the story, it’s not to say that the bridge could be haunted, as many people have claimed. But if Emily didn’t exist, who is it then?