Monday, December 5, 2011

The Smithsonian in Exeter

Our little hamlet may be getting some national attention in the coming months! Earlier this Fall, a writer for the Smithsonian Magazine named Abby Tucker contacted EHA President Sheila Reynolds Boothroyd. Abby was looking for information about poor Mercy Brown, who, as many of us know, was cast as a vampire after her death from tuberculosis in 1892. Abby recently travelled to Exeter to conduct first-hand research on Mercy, and to  meet with Sheila. They are pictured below, in the lobby of the Radisson Hotel near the Providence airport.



With Sheila's assistance, Abby has been busy doing primary-source research on Mercy and her family, pouring over census records and newspaper articles from the the 1890's. While we don't yet know when the article will be published, we're sure it will be quite interesting! Stay tuned!