Posted in Vermont
August 06, 2016
You’ll Never Forget Your Stay At This Historic And Haunted Vermont Inn
Traveling through Vermont is quaint and charming, and one of the more popular tourist destinations is Stowe. There you’ll find the highly rated Green Mountain Inn, which is not only historic, but it’s also haunted. Let’s take a closer look at the friendly ghost, Boots Berry, and the story behind this jolly fellow who still tap dances on the roof on cold winter nights.
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The Green Mountain Inn is a classic Vermont Inn. Three of the buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The eclectic history of the inn includes hosting an array of famous people, being traded for a 350-acre farm, housing a railroad company’s offices, and being the site of a grand hall. The Green Mountain Inn certainly has a rich past.
U.S. President Chester A. Arthur acted in a theatrical production at the Green Mountain Inn, and President Gerald Ford was there as a model for a photo spread in Stowe for Look Magazine.
However, no place this rich in history would be complete without a good, old fashioned ghost.
Kristin Grimes
The friendly ghost is Boots Berry who was born in the 1800s and still haunts the hotel as he dances and taps his way across the roof of the inn.
Boots Berry, whose parents were a chambermaid and a horseman at the inn, and he was born in Room 302 on the servants quarters on the third floor. Boots himself went on to become a respected horseman.
Boots became famous among the locals when one day he saved stagecoach passengers from near death when the coaches horses bolted down Main Street. He was hailed as a hero and awarded a medal.
With fame came the free drinks, as Boots was bought drinks from everyone in the local community every time he went to a tavern.
His visits to the taverns became increasingly frequent and as he spent more and more time at the bars he was eventually fired from the Inn for neglecting his duties.
Boots wandered the country and at one point landed himself in a New Orleans jail where another inmate taught him how to tap dance. It was this dancing that earned him the nickname of Boots.
In 1902, Boots Berry had drifted back to Stowe and he was present when a little girl had climbed onto the inn’s roof during a snowstorm.
Having grown up in the inn, Boots knew of a secret route to the rooftop. He reached the girl and lowered her to safety, but Boots himself slipped and fell to his death.
He was just above room 302, the room where he was born.
Today, guests and staff members swear that they can hear Boots’ tap dancing from the rooftop during snowstorms. The good news is that Boots Berry is a happy and friendly ghost.
If Boots Berry doesn’t scare you, this haunted house in Vermont will give you nightmares!
