Vermont isn’t lacking in creepy ghost stories. After all, the state’s recorded history extends hundreds of years back to some of the first European settlers to step foot in America. However, this creepy tale out of Castleton might just rank amongst the scariest ever.

The story of the ghost of Lake Bomoseen starts in the mid-1800s. Around the middle of the 19th century, Castleton was a booming mining and industrial town.

The town was known for its productive mills and quarries. Unfortunately, Castleton slid into financial decline in the early 1900s.

In 1929, what is now known as Lake Bosomeen State Park was gifted to the state by the stepdaughter of successful businessman Samuel Hazard. By that time, the lake had already acquired a ghostly reputation.

The story goes that one night, three Irish quarry workers enjoyed a night drinking at a tavern on the lake’s shore. In order to get home at the end of the evening, the group set off across the lake on a rowboat.

The men were never seen again. It’s presumed that they drowned, but their bodies were never found. Only the empty rowboat was recovered after it drifted to shore.

Ever since, visitors and locals have claimed to have seen a ghostly rowboat gliding across the waters of Lake Bomoseen on moonlight nights. The boat is almost always described as totally empty and completely silent.

Creepiest of all, the oars that move the boat are said to make no sound or splashing, and no ripples are to be seen in the boat’s wake. It’s as if the unlucky workers are still propelling the boat across the lake in search of home.

Have you ever been to this haunted lake in Castleton? Know any other spine-tingling Vermont tales? Let us know in the comments! For more of the creepiest stuff in the state, check out this terrifying Vermont road trip.