Shirley Jackson’s Outsider Perspective of Bennington, Vermont

by Katy Kelleher

Leaf season had already peaked and the famous green mountains had faded to a burnished gold. The vibrant, shocking colors of autumn had given way to the quiet beauty that would melt all too soon into desolation.

In some ways, this is the perfect time to visit Vermont. No longer overrun with tourists, the small towns are quiet, sleepy with the first snap of winter cold. Bennington, a charming little college town in southern Vermont, was no exception.

My trip to Bennington was inspired by the frequently-forgotten author Shirley Jackson. From the 1940s to the 1960s, Jack...