Ebola and zika virus are in the news these days, but it was the smallpox virus which struck fear in the hearts of New England settlers during the 18th century.
Exeter, of course, was not immune from the reach of smallpox. Like other towns in Rhode Island, people who contracted the disease were sent away to remote farms, where it was hoped that quarantine would stop the spread.
Read the story below about Exeter's long-lost smallpox farm and cemetery, now part of the Cuttyhunk Brook Preserve off of Sunderland Road.
We are once again indebted to Exeter Historical Association Vice-President Gary Boden for his fascinating research.
