This week marks the 56th anniversary of the death of one of the most well-known psychics to ever come out of this region.
Clara Jepson, born Clara Estes in Adams, Mass., in 1861, lived for most of her life just over the Vermont line in Pownal. A simple, down-to-earth woman, there was nothing truly remarkable about her demeanor or appearance, except for one outstanding physical oddity: her sharp eyes, one brown, and one blue. It was to this single blue eye that she would come to attribute the special gift for which she was most known: her much touted powers of clairvoyant vision.
It was said of Clara that she could see the future and recall past events of which she had no foreknowledge. But the aspect of her abilities that won her the greatest praise and prominence was her capacity to discern the whereabouts of lost objects. For more than 50 years, visitors flocked from all around to her home to enlist her help in the locating of missing valuables. Over the years, she helped her clients find all manner of important items: safe combinations, purses, files, letters, and numerous pieces of jewelry, including a $2,000 diamond bar pin, which she located for Mrs. E. Parmalee Prentice.
One elderly Shaftsbury gentleman told me of the time he had lost a beloved hound dog in the woods near Glastenbury Mountain. He went to see Jepson, and though she had never been there, she described to him the place where the dog would be found. It subsequently proved true.
Her services were also sought after in the search for lost people. In 1937, George Palmer Putnam, husband of Amelia Earhart, phoned and wrote to her for help. She was also contacted during the Lindbergh kidnapping case. In 1946, she was paid a visit in regards to the most famous missing-persons case in Vermont history, that of 18-year-old Bennington College sophomore Paula Welden, whose disappearance single-handedly led to the establishment of the Vermont State Police. Though her vision proved insufficient in that case, and Welden’s fate remains a mystery to this day, it did not detract from the tremendous regard in which Jepson was held. In a nationwide survey of seers and clairvoyants conducted by the Rockefeller Foundation, she received the highest rating. The foundation awarded her with a certificate of merit.
Cynics will probably be flustered to know that despite her widespread reputation, Clara never accepted payment for her highly sought-after services, saying she did not consider herself to be a “professional.†In an age in which we are inundated with psychic hotlines and high-profile television mediums who command hundreds of dollars for private sessions, this comes across as particularly remarkable.
Another unusual aspect of Clara’s work was her method of divination. Her technique involved focusing her attention on a handkerchief, which the client would provide. This she would stretch over a piece of cardboard, slowly drawing the folds in as the sitter described their situation. As she folded the handkerchief, she would make pencil markings depicting the story in the creases. This is a highly atypical practice. In fact, in the considerable amount of literature I’ve read over the years on seers, sorcerers and shamans, I cannot recall ever coming across mention of the technique being used by anyone before or since.
Clara Jepson died at Bennington’s Putnam Memorial Hospital on Nov. 22, 1948, and was buried in Williamstown’s Eastlawn Cemetery. The Bennington Evening Banner carried a lengthy obituary on the front page, praising her unique attributes. And now, though more than half a century has passed, there are still those who talk of her gifts in reverent tones, and her life forms a small but fascinating chapter in our New England heritage.
Freelance writer Joe Durwin specializes in Berkshire County and Southern Vermont folklore and strange tales.
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WMMGA to Host Gardening Half Day in Lenox
LENOX, Mass. — The WMMGA will host a gardening half day on April 5 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at Lenox Memorial Middle and High School.
The event will feature eight workshops covering the following topics:
Ticks
Hydrangeas
Summer bulbs
Pollinator gardens
Good garden tools
Plant propagation
Heirloom tomatoes
Container gardening
The event will also include vendors, free refreshments, a sale table with puzzles, houseplants, and gently used garden books, and a garden-themed raffle.
Registration can be completed at wmmga.org. Class size is limited.
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