The Real-Life Vampire of Rhode Island

In the late 19th century, the small, rural community of Exeter, Rhode Island, became the center of one of America's most infamous vampire panics. This eerie tale, steeped in superstition and fear, revolves around a young woman named Mercy Brown, whose tragic death and subsequent exhumation sparked widespread hysteria and a belief in the supernatural.

Mercy Lena Brown was born in 1872 to George and Mary Eliza Brown. The Brown family, like many others in their community, were farmers living a simple life. However, their lives were soon overshadowed by a series of tragic events that would lead them to be remembered in history for their association with vampirism.

In 1883, Mary Eliza, Mercy’s mother, succumbed to tuberculosis, a deadly and highly contagious disease that was often referred to as "consumption" at the time. Tuberculosis ravaged families and communities, spreading easily and without discrimination. Just a few years later, Mercy’s sister, Mary Olive, also died from the disease. The Brown family was already devastated by these losses when, in 1891, Mercy herself fell ill with the same affliction.

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Mercy’s condition deteriorated rapidly during the harsh winter of 1892. She was sent to a remote farmhouse to recuperate, but despite the isolation and the best efforts of her family, she died on January 19, 1892, at the age of 19. Her body was interred in the family plot in the Chestnut Hill Cemetery.

The Brown family’s misfortune did not end with Mercy’s death. Mercy's brother, Edwin, also contracted tuberculosis. In desperation to save him, George Brown, influenced by local superstitions and the advice of friends and neighbors, turned to an old belief that some of the dead, thought to be vampires, were rising from their graves to drain the life from the living. This belief was not uncommon in rural New England during that period, where tuberculosis was often misunderstood and associated with the supernatural.

Convinced that Mercy might be one of these undead, George Brown reluctantly agreed to exhume the bodies of his family members to check for signs of vampirism. On March 17, 1892, local doctor and villagers gathered at the cemetery to perform the grim task. The bodies of Mary Eliza and Mary Olive showed the expected signs of decomposition, but when Mercy’s body was exhumed, it was found to be remarkably well-preserved, despite the fact that she had been buried for over two months.

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This preservation, likely due to the cold winter conditions, was seen as a sign that Mercy was indeed a vampire. The villagers noticed that her heart and liver still contained fresh blood, which further fueled their fears. In accordance with the old superstitions, Mercy’s heart and liver were removed and burned on a nearby rock. The ashes were then mixed with water and given to Edwin to drink, in a desperate and macabre attempt to cure him of tuberculosis. Unfortunately, Edwin died two months later.

The story of Mercy Brown quickly spread beyond Exeter, capturing the imagination of newspapers and the public. The notion of a real-life vampire in America fascinated and horrified people, leading to sensationalized accounts and widespread curiosity. Mercy’s case is one of the best-documented instances of the vampire hysteria that occasionally gripped rural New England during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Today, Mercy Brown’s grave remains a site of interest for those intrigued by the macabre and supernatural. Her story has inspired numerous books, articles, and even elements in popular culture, including speculation that it influenced Bram Stoker’s "Dracula," which was published in 1897, just five years after the exhumation.

The tale of Mercy Brown serves as a haunting reminder of how fear and superstition can shape human behavior, especially in the face of illness and death. It highlights the desperate measures people are willing to take when they are terrified and feel helpless against an invisible enemy. The real-life vampire of Rhode Island is a story that continues to captivate, illustrating the thin line between myth and reality, and the enduring power of folklore.

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