Mercy Brown - Can the vampire myth finally be put to rest?

Every year, around Halloween, our town tends to get a bit more interest than at other times of the year. This can be attributed to the legend of an Exeter resident from many years ago.

Mercy Brown was only 19 years old when she died of tuberculosis on January 17, 1892. While the loss of someone so young is tragic enough on its own, the legend that grew around the circumstances of her death are horrifying as well. Mercy was labeled a vampire by some of her superstitious contemporaries. Not only was she not allowed to rest in peace after her burial, but curiosity about her gravesite has kept this myth alive for a very long time.

Providence Journal writer G. Wayne Miller wrote a thoughtful article about Mercy Brown and the vampire legend this past October. We think it provides a long-overdue debunking of some of the assumptions made about her.

You can read the online version of the article here . It was originally published in the Journal on October 31, 2008.

Looking for a logo.........

Now that we've actually filed our 501(c)3 paperwork, we're ready to come up with a logo for our new organization. One idea mentioned was to have a stylized image of a mill and water wheel, since this type of structure is so iconic to Exeter.

Are you feeling artistic? Go ahead and make up a design! Other suggestions are welcome!

Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 7PM at the Exeter Public Library.

Announcing the arrival of the Exeter Historical Association!

In March 2008, a group of interested Exeter residents got together to begin the process of forming the Exeter Historical Association. Lead by local historians Sheila Reynolds-Boothroyd and Barbara Carroll, the group was incorporated in August 2008 and have begun filing the necessary 501c(3) paperwork in order to be able to apply for grants.


We encourage and welcome participation in this newly formed organization. Meeting notices will be posted here. If you'd like to be included on our mailing list, please contact Sheila Reynolds-Boothroyd at exeterhistory@yahoo.com