Mercy Brown: The Last Vampire of New England | The Dark Folio Ghost File
The Dark Folio
Mercy Brown: The Last Vampire of New England | The Dark Folio Ghost File
In 1892, a Rhode Island community exhumed 19-year-old Mercy Brown, believing she was a vampire feeding on her family from beyond the grave. What they found in her coffin sparked international scandal and may have reached the desk of Bram Stoker as he wrote Dracula. Tonight on The Dark Folio, we uncover the true story of tuberculosis, superstition, and the last vampire panic in American history—a tale where fear turned a dying girl into a legend that still haunts us today.
CITED SOURCES
https://www.rihs.org/have-mercy/
(RIHS documentation with excerpts)"Vampires and Death in New England, 1784 to 1892" https://www.yorku.ca/kdenning/+++2150%202007-8/BellVampiresandDeath.pdf
Tucker, Abigail. "The Great New England Vampire Panic"
Smithsonian Magazine, October 2012
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-great-new-england-vampire-panic-36482878/
Rhode Island Historical Society - "Have Mercy..." Article
Comprehensive timeline with newspaper excerpts
https://www.rihs.org/have-mercy/
Yankee Magazine - "Vampire Mercy Brown"
Historical documentation and analysis
https://newengland.com/yankee/history/vampire-mercy-brown-rhode-island/
Your AAA Network - "The Story of Rhode Island's 'Real' Vampire"
Modern overview with cemetery details
https://magazine.northeast.aaa.com/daily/life/fall-fest/the-story-of-rhode-islands-real-vampire-mercy-brown/
Wikipedia - Mercy Brown Vampire Incident
Well-sourced overview with citations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercy_Brown_vampire_incident
Mental Floss - "On the Twisted Trail of Bram Stoker's Notes for 'Dracula'"
Overview of Stoker's research process
https://www.mentalfloss.com/literature/authors/bram-stoker-dracula-notes
Content Warning: This episode discusses death, disease, exhumation, and historical rituals that some listeners may find disturbing.#MercyBrown #TrueCrime #HistoryPodcast #VampireLegend #NewEnglandHistory #RhodeIsland #Dracula #BramStoker #GothicHistory #VictorianEra #Tuberculosis #Folklore #AmericanHistory #DarkHistory #TrueVampireStory
Music credit goes to Zapsplat. https://www.zapsplat.com/music/horror-music-box-ghostly-haunted-musical-tune-version-2/