Bennington College has many historic buildings, but one in particular inspired one of the scariest stories ever written. Jennings Hall, the current music building, was the inspiration for Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House.” This was one of the many horror stories Jackson wrote while living in North Bennington and Stephen King called it “one of the finest horror novels of the late 20th century.” The Wall Street Journal also hailed praise and said the book is “now widely regarded as the greatest haunted-house story ever written.” Let’s take a look at the place where it all started… The Hill House in VT.

The campus at Bennington College is undeniably beautiful.
Flickr/Garden Beth
The buildings are gorgeous, but there is one that inspired one of the most frightening tales of all time.
Flickr/Sonja Stark
The Jennings building is a grey stone building is covered in vines and is set apart from the other buildings on campus.
Flickr/Leigh Angel
One of the opening sentences in the Haunting of Hill House says "Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more."
Flickr/niandrafriday
It sure sounds like Jennings Hall to us!

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Shirley Jackson (pictured right), moved to North Bennington from California in 1940 with her husband who was a faculty member at the college.
Facebook/Bennington College
The Jacksons remained in North Bennington for the rest of their lives where Shirley raised her four children, kept the home and wrote some of the most terrifying tales of all time.
The Haunting of House Hill was adapted into two big screen films. The first in 1963 and the second in 1999 and both are called "The Haunting."
Flickr/John Donges
It was recently announced that Netflix will be adapting the novel into a series!
Flickr/dirtyblueshirt
We can't wait to see the star studded cast which includes Timothy Hutton, Carla Gugino, Michel Huisman, Elizabeth Reaser, Kate Siegel, Lulu Wilson, Victoria Pedretti and Henry Thomas.
Head to Jennings Hall at Bennington College to see this inspiring building for yourself... If you dare!
Flickr/Grufnik

If you think the Hill House in VT is scary, check out the ultimate terrifying road trip in Vermont.

 

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