Bennington Triangle
Encyclopedia
"Bennington Triangle" is a phrase coined by New England
author Joseph A. Citro
during a public radio broadcast in 1992 to denote an area of southwestern Vermont
within which a number of persons went missing between 1920 and 1950 . This was further popularized in two books, in which he devoted chapters to discussion of these disappearances and various items of folklore
surrounding the area. According to Citro the area shares characteristics with the Bridgewater Triangle
in neighboring Massachusetts.
Precisely what area is encompassed in this hypothetical "mystery triangle" is not clear, but it is purportedly centered around Glastenbury Mountain
and would include some or most of the area of the towns immediately surrounding it, especially Bennington, Woodford
, Shaftsbury
, and Somerset
. Glastenbury
and its neighboring township Somerset
were both once moderately thriving logging
and industrial
towns, but began declining toward the late 19th century and are now essentially ghost town
s, unincorporated
by an act of the state legislature
in 1937.
According to Citro's books, stories of strange happenings had been told about Glastenbury and the surrounding area for many years prior to the disappearances in the 1940s, the best-known of which is probably that of Paula Jean Welden
in December 1946. Other sources do seem to corroborate that such folklore
does appear to date back as far as the late 19th century and perhaps even earlier. This includes the local folk belief that Native Americans regarded the Glastenbury area as "cursed" and avoided it, as well as tales of hairy "wild men
" and other strange beasts in the woods.
Five of the people who disappeared in the greater Bennington area were Middie Rivers (1945) a hunter who left his hunting party and went off on his own; Paula Welden (1946), a Bennington College student who hitchhiked her way to the Long Trail; James E. Tedford (1949), a man suffering from dementia who exited a bus before his planned stop; eight year old Paul Jepson (1950) who left his mother’s truck while she was feeding her pigs; and Frieda Langer (1950) who went missing while hunting near Somerset Reservoir. No direct connections have been identified that tie these cases together – other than general geographic area and time period.
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
author Joseph A. Citro
Joseph A. Citro
Joseph A. Citro is a Vermont author and folklorist. Occasionally referred as the "Bard of the Bizarre" or "the Ghost-Master General", he has extensively researched and documented the folklore, hauntings, ghost stories, paranormal activity and occult happenings of New England.Interested in horror...
during a public radio broadcast in 1992 to denote an area of southwestern Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
within which a number of persons went missing between 1920 and 1950 . This was further popularized in two books, in which he devoted chapters to discussion of these disappearances and various items of folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
surrounding the area. According to Citro the area shares characteristics with the Bridgewater Triangle
Bridgewater Triangle
The Bridgewater Triangle refers to an area of about within southeastern Massachusetts in the United States. claimed to be a site of alleged paranormal phenomena, ranging from UFO's to poltergeists and orbs, balls of fire and other spectral phenomena, various "bigfoot" sightings, giant snakes and...
in neighboring Massachusetts.
Precisely what area is encompassed in this hypothetical "mystery triangle" is not clear, but it is purportedly centered around Glastenbury Mountain
Glastenbury Mountain
Glastenbury Mountain is a mountain located in Bennington County, Vermont, in the Green Mountain National Forest.The mountain is part of the Green Mountains....
and would include some or most of the area of the towns immediately surrounding it, especially Bennington, Woodford
Woodford, Vermont
Woodford is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 414 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 47.6 square miles , of which 47.5 square miles is land and 0.1 square mile is...
, Shaftsbury
Shaftsbury, Vermont
Shaftsbury is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,767 at the 2000 census. The town was chartered on August 20, 1761...
, and Somerset
Somerset, Vermont
Somerset is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 5, and is one of only a handful of places in the United States with a population of five people. Somerset is one of five unincorporated towns in Vermont. The town disincorporated...
. Glastenbury
Glastenbury, Vermont
Glastenbury is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The town was unincorporated by an act of the state legislature in 1937, and is now essentially a ghost town. The population was eight at the 2010 census. Along with Somerset, Glastenbury is one of two Vermont towns where the...
and its neighboring township Somerset
Somerset, Vermont
Somerset is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 5, and is one of only a handful of places in the United States with a population of five people. Somerset is one of five unincorporated towns in Vermont. The town disincorporated...
were both once moderately thriving logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
and industrial
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
towns, but began declining toward the late 19th century and are now essentially ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
s, unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
by an act of the state legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
in 1937.
According to Citro's books, stories of strange happenings had been told about Glastenbury and the surrounding area for many years prior to the disappearances in the 1940s, the best-known of which is probably that of Paula Jean Welden
Paula Jean Welden
Paula Jean Welden was a Bennington College, Vermont, USA, sophomore whose disappearance while walking on Vermont's Long Trail hiking route remains an unsolved mystery.-Background:...
in December 1946. Other sources do seem to corroborate that such folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
does appear to date back as far as the late 19th century and perhaps even earlier. This includes the local folk belief that Native Americans regarded the Glastenbury area as "cursed" and avoided it, as well as tales of hairy "wild men
Wild man
The wild man is a mythical figure that appears in the artwork and literature of medieval Europe, comparable to the satyr or faun type in classical mythology and to Silvanus, the Roman god of the woodlands.The defining characteristic of the figure is its "wildness"; from the 12th century...
" and other strange beasts in the woods.
Five of the people who disappeared in the greater Bennington area were Middie Rivers (1945) a hunter who left his hunting party and went off on his own; Paula Welden (1946), a Bennington College student who hitchhiked her way to the Long Trail; James E. Tedford (1949), a man suffering from dementia who exited a bus before his planned stop; eight year old Paul Jepson (1950) who left his mother’s truck while she was feeding her pigs; and Frieda Langer (1950) who went missing while hunting near Somerset Reservoir. No direct connections have been identified that tie these cases together – other than general geographic area and time period.