Tales from the haunted inn

Vernon’s historic watering hole features mysterious goings-on By Mark J. Yablonsky VERNON — Many people know the Vernon Inn on Route 94. It’s a popular watering hole and has been around in one form or another for more than 150 years. Along with all that history comes a legacy. The building is reported to be haunted. “Oh, it’s haunted,” clarified Darlene Berryman, the Inn’s efficient, cheery assistant manager. “I have various staff members who can vouch for that.” The Vernon Inn has a “long and distinguished history” in the township, according to its Web site. It was first built in about 1833 by local tavern owner John Vandegriff, who called it the Vandegriff Hotel. It served not only as a hotel and tavern, but also as a “public meeting house” for assemblies, sheriff sales and other business. The Inn was later renamed The Vernon House and continued as a hotel and tavern “well into the 20th century,” according to the Web site. In 1936, the top floor was destroyed by fire, and the structure was soon “extensively rebuilt and reopened for business.” It became Gary’s Vernon Lodge and after the death of its owner six years ago, was purchased, underwent another “extensive remodeling,” and opened again in June 2003, this time taking on its current name. The building, along with its main floor, also has an upstairs that was once part of the hotel, and has both a long and a short hallway. The latter leads from creaky old stairs to the office. Laura Frain, along with a partner, bought the building in June of this year. She knew beforehand about the building’s haunted legend. And she says she and her staff experience unusual incidents of the haunted variety on a daily basis. One such event occurred on an early summer evening. “I have a story, even though I’ve only been here a few months or so,” Frain recounted. “I was up in the office by myself in the early evening, so there were people down here. I heard someone walking up the stairs and down the hall to the office. They jiggled the doorknob, but the door never opened. So I said, ‘Come on in.’ And I got up and opened the door, which wasn’t locked, and there was no one there. “So I closed the door and sat down again. And the doorknob started to jiggle again. And I opened the door again, and no one was there.” Berryman, who has worked at the Inn for over four years, has experienced some more startling ghostly incidents. “It’s mostly noises and voices, people talking,” Berryman explained. “I’ve been sitting in the office late at night, and one time, I heard a conversation in the kitchen and when I came down, nobody was there — and then they moved to another room, and I heard them there.” “One time, I was going upstairs from the basement and I felt a cold chill starting from my feet; but it was only up the back of me, not the front of me.” Mysteries good for business Can this all be a misunderstanding or just someone’s imagination working overtime? It isn’t likely. For in early 2004, a local group, North Jersey Paranormal Research, conducted an investigation throughout the building and discovered what they say is strong evidence of paranormal activity. They say photographs they took indicated the presence of “orbs,” lighted spheres that indicates a being. In particular, the team reported, strong evidence of paranormal activities was discovered in the Inn’s basement. Jeff Yurco, the Inn’s kitchen manager, also lives upstairs and has heard unusual things, although not nearly as many as Berryman has. But nearly everyone, customers included, say they’ve heard an inexplicable screeching from the restaurant’s music speakers; despite the installation of new equipment and other service checks, the screech persists. “It happens when people are here at the bar,” Berryman confirmed. “And when it does, people raise their glasses and say ‘toast to the ghost.’” It has worked into a marketing gimmick, as the Inn sells T-shirts that read: Toast to the ghost. Berryman says she’s not afraid, despite nightly noises, insisting almost all of it has become expected. “It’s creepy, but I’m not afraid. It’s become a part of my life.” “ “““““I’m so used to a nightly ritual that after a night of a busy restaurant and a busy bar, the moments of silence are welcomed. So the little sounds and the little nuances don’t bother me.” Yurco has a different opinion: “I guess I’ve never seen anything, so I don’t believe it.” If Frain knew something about the building’s history, why did she go through with the purchase? “Actually, I thought it was beneficial that it had this kind of history. It’s an added attraction. It’s a good draw and it adds to the character of the place. And I didn’t have to pay extra for the ghost.”