Deacon Jonathan Wheelock built his farmhouse in Cavendish, VT, in 1789, where he owned over 1,000 acres of surrounding land. Wheelock was born September 18, 1727, in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. He married Anna Drury Wheelock in 1735 and they moved to Cavendish in 1789. Wheelock is known for founding the first Episcopalian church in Cavendish, and for fighting as a Minuteman in the Revolutionary War.
When his children reached adulthood, Wheelock divided his land into parcels and gave it to his children to farm. Each farm was within sight of Wheelock’s farm. Some say he liked to be able to keep a very close eye on his family. He had seven children: Jonathan, Zeruiah, Ebenezer, Jotham, Joseph, John, and Anna. He died on October 21, 1798 at Cavendish. A book about his life entitled Sketch of the Life of Deacon Jonathan Wheelock of Cavendish, Vermont, was published by Gertrude Bernadette Wilgus. He is buried in the Old Revolutionary War Cemetery Cavendish, Windsor County, Vermont. It is possible that Deacon Wheelock is still watching over his family, even after his death over 200 years ago. Reports of paranormal activity at the farm include objects moving from place to place in empty rooms and objects suddenly falling off shelves.
Figures have also been sighted on the farm; some are even seen peering out the windows of the empty farmhouse. Some say the apparitions take the form of dark shadows. It isn’t clear if the figures are that of Wheelock or any of his family members. If so, they have competition from the other apparitions around Cavendish Village. The dense woods of Cavendish and Cavendish village are home to a variety of ghosts, perhaps including Wheelock among them.
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