Anna Wheeler's ghost haunts College Hall at the Vermont College of Fine Arts...at least that’s what campus lore says. In this episode of Citegeist, we investigate the ghost of Anna Wheeler and the strange happenings reported in the building’s tower. But the real history is something far juicier than what the college's oral history would lead you to believe. In fact, Anna likely never even step foot in the building.

The true tale involves an 1890s love triangle between Annie Wheeler, Jack Wheeler, and Mildred Brewster but with a bit of a twist. Through archival research and historical records, we uncover how a real crime became a campus ghost story...and why, once again, truth is stranger than the legend.

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SOURCES

Archival Records

United States Federal Census

• 1900 — John Wheeler. Accessed February 27, 2026. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/7602/records/61913074

• 1910 — John Wheeler. Accessed February 27, 2026. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/7884/records/864619

• 1920 — John Wheeler. Accessed February 27, 2026. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/6061/records/59960769

• 1920 — Mildred Brewster. Accessed February 20, 2026. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/6061/records/13569057

• 1930 — John Wheeler. Accessed February 27, 2026. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/6224/records/81379697

• 1930 — Mildred Brewster. Accessed February 20, 2026. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/6224/records/111886159

• 1940 — John Wheeler. Accessed February 27, 2026. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/2442/records/52015944

• 1940 — Mildred Brewster. Accessed February 20, 2026. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/2442/records/66282820

Other Records

• “Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852–1965.” Accessed February 27, 2026. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/1222/records/664663

• “Lena Mildred Brewster.” Ancestry family tree record. Accessed February 20, 2026. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/family-tree/person/tree/163255563/person/172623223608

• “Vermont Homicides 1891 to 1900.” The Ohio State University.

Newspapers

Boston Herald

• “Shot Rival and Self.” May 30, 1897

• “Begged For Her Revolver.” June 1, 1897

• “Trial of Mildred Brewster Will Be Begun This Morning.” November 22, 1897

• “Validity of the Indictment.” November 23, 1897

• “Mildred Brewster’s Fate.” April 7, 1898

• “Jury Visited the Scene.” April 8, 1898

• “Mildred Brewster’s Letter.” April 9, 1898

• “Moods of Mildred Brewster.” April 15, 1898

Boston Journal

• “Mildred L. Brewster: She Is Arraigned on the Charge of Murdering Annie Wheeler, and Held for Trial.” November 19, 1897

• “More of Insanity Theory.” April 20, 1898

• “Expert Testimony.” April 22, 1898

• “Insanity Theory Saves.” May 6, 1898

• “Mildred Brewster Sent Back to Asylum.” September 24, 1908

• “Mildred Brewster Once Accused of Murder, Quits Insane Asylum.” November 1, 1916

Other Newspapers

• The Barre Daily Times. “Experts Call Woman Sane.” October 27, 1916

• The Boston Globe. “Brewster Trial Begins Today.” April 4, 1898

• The Caledonian Record. “Sent Back to Waterbury.” September 30, 1908

• The Caledonian Record. “Woman Freed from Asylum.” November 1, 1916

• The Lowell Sun. “Mildred Brewster Will Die.” June 23, 1897

• Seattle Daily Times. “Lena Brewster Funeral Announcement.” April 29, 1942

• The Seattle Star. “Obituaries.” April 29, 1942

• St. Albans Daily Messenger. “Praying for Death.” May 31, 1897

• St. Albans Daily Messenger. “Asks for Release.” February 24, 1908

• St. Albans Daily Messenger. “Press Opinion: The Return of Mildred Brewster to State Insane Hospital.” September 26, 1908

• St. Albans Daily Messenger. “Tells Story of Life.” April 23, 1908

• St. Albans Daily Messenger. “A Century Ago, a Sensational Murder Shocked Montpelier.” July 15, 1997

• Vermont Watchman and State Journal. “Washington County Court.” April 20, 1898

Articles & Essays

Singer, Michelle A. L., and Tom Brown. “The True Story Behind the Legend of Anna’s Ghost.” The Bridge, October 16, 2015.
https://thebridgevt.org/2015/10/the-true-story-behind-the-legend-of-annas-ghost/

Lockwood, Marissa. “The Haunted Vermont College Where History and Haunting Collide.” My Family Travels, November 28, 2025.
https://myfamilytravels.com/the-haunted-vermont-college-where-history-and-haunting-collide/

Ramsey, Connie Cain. “The Ghost of Montpelier’s Courthouse.” Burlington Free Press.
https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/2014/11/06/ghost-montpeliers-courthouse/18605573/

Wilhelm, Robert. “Insane Jealousy.” Murder by Gaslight.
http://www.murderbygaslight.com/2018/07/insane-jealousy.html

Writer, Stephen Mills. “Ghost of Anna Still Haunts VCFA.” Times Argus, October 30, 2019.
https://www.timesargus.com/news/local/ghost-of-anna-still-haunts-vcfa/article_4dcf023c-3002-5a55-9545-f65f5b9bdcdd.html

Shelberius. “Haunted New England: College Hall: Girl Killed for Love Haunts Tower.” Haunted New England, January 2, 2018.
https://hauntedne.blogspot.com/2018/01/college-hall-girl-killed-for-love.html

Websites & Online Resources

Constructive. “The Story Behind VCFA’s Resident Ghost.” Vermont College of Fine Arts, October 19, 2015.
https://vcfa.edu/the-story-behind-vcfas-resident-ghost/

“Tragedy and Mystery: The True Legend of Anna’s Ghost in Vermont.” Around Vermont, October 16, 2023.
https://www.vermonter.com/annas-ghost/

“The True Story Behind the Legend of Anna’s Ghost.” Wayback Machine, July 17, 2020.
https://web.archive.org/web/20200717115701/https://vcfa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/2015-10-15-The-True-Story-Behind-The-Legend-of-Anna%E2%80%99s-Ghost.pdf

BROKEN ANTLER. “It Started with a Ghost: An Interview with Ann Dávila Cardinal.”
https://www.brokenantlermag.com/blog/an-interview-with-ann-davila-cardinal

“Montpelier Ghost Tour.” US Ghost Adventures.
https://usghostadventures.com/montpelier-ghost-tour/

“Haunted Montpelier Ghost Tour.”
https://lizzie-borden.com/ghost-tours/montpelier/

“County Courthouse: A Murder and a Ghost Story.”
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Black Agnes & Anna Wheeler (video).
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1082195716850085