Chestnut Hill Baptist Cemetery

Jul 12

Exeter Cemetery

Exeter, Rhode Island, United States

Mercy Lena’s Grave in Chestnut Chill Baptist Cemetery, Exeter Rhode Island

Located in a small town on the east coast, in Rhode Island is one of the most haunted cemeteries in the state. Get tales of ghosts are not the only encounters on these hallowed grounds. Situated next to the Chestnut Hill Baptist Church on Victory Highway in Rhode Island sits an idyllic cemetery that does not portray its grimmer tales from the past of the vampire’s grasp and the rituals committed to its residents along ago. The officially named Exeter Cemetery started in 1838, holding about 1000 souls laid to rest. But in the 18 hundreds, the townspeople felt the souls did not stay laid to rest praying on the living. In new England prior to the 18 hundreds, there was around 20 documented instances of vampires being exhumed before the American revolution. But in the village of Exeter, Rhode Island there was about to become another case. The church first began in 1838, but its cemetery is not documented well beyond the burial of the souls within its grounds. But one can fairly assume the church's history and cemetery go hand in hand. The congregation is home to the oldest Baptist faith in Exeter. Seeing a rapid expansion and membership in the early years, but then saw scandal. In 1839 controversy regarding the moral character of the pastor at the time, elder Gershom Hommer resulted in his expulsion. This led to his supporters, also following him from the church till 1845 when they reconciled with the parent church, but never fully rejoined. The church only had 188 members and never regained its membership again. This was also affected by the declining population in the late 18 hundreds in rural areas of Rhode Island. Caused by new railroads and the promise of richer land to the west. It lured young men away and the tragic losses of the civil war with a small towns population made it extremely sparse. One family would find itself part of an epidemic unknown to many at the time. The small town comprised of farmers in the area and one family would find itself part of an epidemic unknown to many at the time.

Farmer's George and Mary Brown lived a quiet life on their farm with their two daughters Mary Olive and Mercy Lena and one son Edwin. This was the time-period that "consumption" or now known today as Tuberculosis or TB was the leading cause of death. The bacteria of the illness were just discovered in 1882 but being a rural community, they were not connected with the world enough to know about the discovery or treatment. It was not until the 1940's that a drugs to combat the illness was widely known. Putting many still at risk and the Brown family right in "consumptions" path. The mother Mary was the first to fall ill in the family passing away in 1883. Beloved by the community her funeral was attended by many of the local townsfolk with her obituary saying, “The last few hours she lived was of great suffering, yet her faith was firm, and she was ready for the change.” The following year the oldest daughter Mary Olive took ill rapidly and died at the age of 20. The Brown family then experienced a few years of better luck with health until their son Edwin's health began to fade. Fearing of also being taken by illness he consulted with a local physician who suggested he and his wife move to Colorado Springs to regain his health. While away Edwin's health did appear to be recovering but his sister Mercy would see her turn next in failing health. Fearing for his sister's life and the possibility of not saying goodbye Edwin rushed back to Rhode Island to be by her side. Mercy then passed away in the January of 1892 she was just 19 years old. Due to the freezing weather during her death Mercy's body was kept in a receiving crypt in the cemetery unable to be buried in the frozen ground. This was a widespread practice at the time before technology would enable digging during the colder months. To this day older cemeteries still have receiving crypts if you look closely for them sometimes appearing as a crypt or vault. Edwin, now back in Rhode Island sadly still saw his health declining and the Brown's neighbors started taking notice of the family's string of bad luck with illness. Instead of just a sickness or a bad immune system they decided the family was suffering from being in the Vampire's Grasp. You see in the late 1800's a 'vampire panic' had taken residents imagination away with them. The fear of consumption lead to some residents digging up their dead while looking for vampires and lurking blood-sucking spirits. Believing the illness was an effect of vampires. Ina neighboring town in 1872 of a William Rose of Saunderstown, Rhode Island a son sick with consumption, and who believed in the old doctoring that the consumptive dead draw nourishment from the living. Rose then went looking for a recent victim of consumption hoping to save his son by burning the vitals of the dead. Assisted by a local Indian he built a fire near a grave exhumed the body of a 12-year-old boy who was beyond decay. Then of a 7-year-old girl who he was able to remove the remaining vitals and burn them in the fire. To add to the extreme nature of the story he had witnesses of his act as they wanted to watch him commit this foolish and superstitious act. He did not pertain permission from the family's prior and caused quite an issue in town. But Rose was not alone in Rhode Island with his so called foolish and superstitious act. Others in neighboring towns also attempted to save loved ones with the same act and was also documented in find recently in Connecticut. Yet no one was successful in curing or freed from the vampire's grasp. There still is a struggle to fully understand the public hysteria at the time, but each of the accused vampires was midst the consumption outbreaks. Common in the late 1800's a 'vampire panic' had taken hold of world or lack of understanding of the illness consumption. The fear of consumption lead to some residents digging up their past loved ones or neighbors while looking for vampires and lurking blood-sucking spirits. Believing the illness was an effect of vampires not bacteria and to warn listeners this gets very grim and a little gruesome coming up. If you are squeamish, I would suggest not listening ahead. In a neighboring town in 1872, a William Rose of Saunderstown, Rhode Island whose son sick with consumption, believed in the old folklore that the consumptive dead draw nourishment from the living. Consumption had symptoms of fever, a hacking, bloody cough, and a visible wasting away of the body. “The emaciated figure strikes one with terror,” read one 18th-century description, “the forehead covered with drops of sweat; the cheeks painted with a livid crimson, the eyes sunk...the breath offensive, quick and laborious, and the cough so incessant as to scarce allow the wretched sufferer time to tell his complaints.” The symptoms “progressed in such a way that it seemed like something was draining the life and blood out of somebody.” Rose went looking for a recent victim of consumption hoping to save his son by burning the vitals of the dead. Assisted by a local Indian he built a fire near a grave, exhumed the body of a 12-year-old boy hoping to complete the ritual, but he was beyond decay. He then proceeded to exhume the body of a 7-year-old girl who he was able to remove the remaining vitals and burn them in the fire completing the ritual. To add to the extreme nature of the story he had witnesses to his actions as they wanted to watch him commit this foolish and superstitious act. He did not pertain permission from the family's prior and caused quite the stir in town. But Rose was not alone in Rhode Island with his so called foolish and superstitious act. Others in neighboring towns also attempted to save loved ones with the same action. Looking into exhumations, Rose might have been one of the first, but he was not the last. Rhode Island's rural setting had case is around but more hush hush than other communities in Maine or Massachusetts. Normally only family and neighbors like Edwin's case would step in, but other communities saw town fathers voted on the matter, or medical doctors and clergymen giving their blessings or even going furthering and pitched in. The ritual needed was said to entail burning the deceased heart and at times other vital organs and then sometimes inhaling the smoke as a cure or the ill consuming the ashes in a drink after. Varied accounts also document beheadings or turning over the deceased face down in their graves making them unable to rise from the dead. Yet no one was successful in curing or being freed from the vampire's grasp passing away from the illness. There is still a struggle today to fully understand the public hysteria at the time, but each of the accused vampires was midst the consumption outbreaks.

The receiving crypt where Mercy Lena was kept before the ritual and burial of her body.

A New England folklorist and scholar Michael Bell has discovered almost 100 exhumations of graves in the region related to vampire suspicion. The coffin would be in good condition, but cadavers would be beheaded, chest torn open and various bones from the lower body crossed over the chest. Most rural family's fell ill with consumption and did see their standard physician like Edwin but sought to blame early victims for the loss of their loved ones. Believing those gone before them picked or preyed upon family members who fell ill. The failed attempts from others to free themselves from the vampire's grasp did not stop the Brown family from attempting to cure Edwin through the ritual. George Brown influenced by his neighbors and by the loss of his daughters and wife decided to save Edwin by performing the folk ritual. With his father's blessing but notably not his assistance Edwin, neighbors and his doctor dug up the graves of his mother and sister Mary Olive in March of 1892. The result would not be pretty, as both women had passed for years leading to severely decomposed bodies. Mercy Lena, Edwin's sister had yet to be buried though, with her coffin still in the receiving crypt from her passing in January. Upon opening her coffin, they found Mercy Lena turned sideways, leading to further evidence to the neighbors and the doctor that she was indeed a vampire. And listeners I absolutely agree that it was ridiculously that no one thought she might have been turned and tossed from carried or buried alive. Which did happen on accident to people back in that day. Of age. The doctor then removed Mercy Lena's heart and liver for the ritual leaking blood, another superstition leading to believe she was a vampire. The problem was Mercy died in January and was placed in a freezing cold crypt. Mostly likely preserving her body leading these suspicious pieces of so-called evidence to town folk that she was vampire and not just a set of circumstances set up by her passing in winter. Some accounts of the story vary saying Mercy Lena was buried and exhumed from the ground, but the result was just the same. The group then taking her organs, set them on fire on a rock in the cemetery. The doctor collecting the ashes, mixing them with liquor and had Edwin drink the concoction. Yet Edwin just like other's who tried and failed miserable with the folk ritual lived only 6 more weeks dying in May of 1892. Mercy Lena is said to haunt Chesnut Hill Cemetery. Blue lights are claimed to see floating close to her grave on the Brown family plot beneath an evergreen tree. The tale of Mercy Lena became famous in vampire tales over the years leading to her headstone anchored to the ground to prevent it from being stolen and noticed by author's Bram Stoker and H.P. Lovecraft. Stoker had newspaper clippings of her story found in his possessions after passing. Perhaps giving influence on his famous novel Dracula. Lovecraft was a Rhode Island resident who lived in Providence nearby and mentioned her in his short story “The Shunned House.” Visitors can sign a guest book if you visit Mercy Lena that can be found in a Tupperware box in the cemetery. Sadly, the quiet coastal New England life in this sleepy rural town was not so quiet as it seems in the 1800's. Visitors do leave her mementos and pennies hoping to see Mercy Lena when visiting. The cemetery does still have interments so please be respectful if you plan to stroll through and vampire hunts are not appreciated.

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