Haunted hotel guide · Quechee, Vermont
The Haunted Inn at Clearwater Pond, Quechee: The Legend of Mr. Tewksbury
A long white farmhouse above its own pond near Quechee Gorge, where local legend says a man named Tewksbury has walked the halls for two centuries.
The Inn at Clearwater Pond is a small country inn on the Quechee-Hartland Road, about a mile south of Route 4, set on seven acres of an old working farm that backs onto the Quechee Gorge area. The long white farmhouse looks over a sweeping lawn, a gazebo, a koi pond with a stone patio and clay chimenea, and a swimming pool. It has five rooms and suites, including the Skylar Rose Suite and a private cottage, and serves a continental breakfast in your room, the dining room or outside in summer.
It also has one of the darker ghost legends in Vermont. Local lore says a Mr. Tewksbury took his own life in the house in the early 1800s and never left, and guests describe knocking, breaking objects, a tap on the shoulder and a voice in the night. Here is the story, what can and cannot be confirmed, and how to plan a stay.
Inn at Clearwater Pond at a glance
Haunted Rooms Score
- Address 984 Quechee-Hartland Road, Quechee, VT 05059
- Built An old farmhouse with about 200 years of history, per the inn
- Most haunted spots The hallways, the family room, the garden and guest rooms
- Best-known ghost Mr. Tewksbury, a figure from local legend
- Booking the haunted room No single haunted room
- Good to know Five rooms and suites including a private cottage, pool, koi pond and gazebo; pets and children in certain rooms only, by arrangement; owner and innkeeper Tina; phone (802) 295-0606
The ghost of the Inn at Clearwater Pond
The legend of Mr. Tewksbury
According to local legend, a man named Tewksbury died by suicide in the house in the early part of the 19th century, and his spirit has stayed. The story has been told about the property for years and appeared in our earlier list of Vermont’s haunted hotels.
We searched newspaper archives, local histories and the major ghost databases and could not find a death record, report or published account that confirms a Mr. Tewksbury lived or died here, and the inn does not tell the story itself. Treat him as a legend, and a sad one, rather than as history.
What guests describe
The reports are unusually varied for a small inn. Guests say a man has been seen in the hallways and the family room, out in the garden and even in their guest rooms. Others describe knocking on their doors with nobody outside, objects breaking, a tap on the shoulder when they were alone, and a voice speaking to them during the night.
None of these accounts comes with a name or a date, and they have not been collected by a newspaper or historian. They are, though, consistent with each other, and they have followed the house for a long time.
The most haunted rooms and places to look
- The hallways and family room: Where the figure of a man is most often described.
- The garden: Guests have reported the same figure outside, near the house.
- Guest rooms: Knocking on doors and a voice at night are reported in the rooms themselves.
- Christina's Cottage: The private cottage, a good pick if you want the grounds and the garden, where the figure has also been reported, close at hand.
History of Inn at Clearwater Pond
The inn stands on what was once a working farm, and the owners describe it as having about 200 years of history. Like many Upper Valley farmhouses it has grown over time into a long, low white building, set well back from the road with views across its fields.
It opened as a bed and breakfast in 2000. Travel listings name five units, Christina’s Cottage, the Kassidy Violet Room, the Lila Marin Suite, the Lilly Irene Room and the Skylar Rose Suite, with fireplaces and private baths. Today the inn is run by its owner and innkeeper, Tina, and offers a workout room, covered front and back porches, a pool, and a pond-side stone patio with a clay chimenea. The local chamber of commerce describes it as an elegant gentleman’s farm and country inn.
Quechee itself is a village in the town of Hartford, best known for Quechee Gorge, the deep river gorge on the Ottauquechee often called Vermont’s Little Grand Canyon. The Quechee Inn at Marshland Farm, with its own well-known ghosts, is a few minutes away.
Tips for a haunted stay
- Book directly with the inn by phone or email; it is not on Booking.com, and online payment is not always switched on. Ask about pets or children in advance, as only certain rooms take them.
- Walk the lawn down to the pond at dusk, then listen for knocking after dark.
- Pair it with dinner or a night at the Quechee Inn at Marshland Farm, a few minutes away.
- Visit Quechee Gorge in daylight.
- Fall foliage weekends book up early in the Upper Valley.
Want to investigate, not just sleep?
Sleeping in a haunted hotel is one thing. Investigating one after dark is another. On a Haunted Rooms ghost hunt our team takes you through the building with professional ghost hunting equipment, runs EVP sessions and lets you explore on your own during free roam.
- Fort William Henry Ghost Hunt, Lake George, NY: Investigate the rebuilt 1755 fort, about two and a half hours from Quechee.
- Captain Grant's 1754 Ghost Hunt & Sleepover, Preston, CT: Spend the night investigating a colonial inn in eastern Connecticut.
More haunted hotels nearby
- Quechee Inn at Marshland Farm: Jane Porter’s portrait and footsteps in empty rooms
- Hartness House, Springfield: The governor’s tunnels and the Lindbergh Room
- Mount Washington Hotel, New Hampshire: Princess Carolyn and Room 314
- Haunted hotels in Vermont
Stayed in one of these hotels? Tell us what happened
We collect first-hand accounts from guests and add the best ones to our guides, with your first name and the date of your stay. We read every story before it’s published.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Inn at Clearwater Pond haunted?
Local legend says it is haunted by a Mr. Tewksbury, who is said to have taken his own life in the house in the early 1800s. Guests describe a man in the halls and garden, knocking, a tap on the shoulder and a voice at night.
Who was Mr. Tewksbury?
He is a figure from local legend. We could not find any record confirming that he lived or died at the house.
Is there a haunted room at the Inn at Clearwater Pond?
No single room. Reports come from the hallways, the family room, the garden and guest rooms.
How do I book the Inn at Clearwater Pond?
Book directly through the inn’s website or by phone at (802) 295-0606.
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the hotel’s own website, historic records and news coverage. Ghost stories are reported as guests, staff and local historians tell them. Read how we rate haunted hotels.
- Inn at Clearwater Pond: official site
- Innsite: Inn at Clearwater Pond
- Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce: Inn at Clearwater Pond
- Visiting New England: Inn at Clearwater Pond
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About the authors
The Haunted Rooms Team runs public ghost hunts and overnight investigations at historic venues across the United States. We research every hotel in our guides using hotel histories, local archives, news coverage and the accounts of guests and staff, and we review each guide regularly so you are not booking a hotel that has closed or changed its name. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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