Haunt Spot: Ghost Stories, Ghost Photos, and real Hauntings

Chestnut Hill Baptist Church Cemetery, Victory Highway, Exeter, Rhode Island

In the rural town of Exeter, they still whisper about the vampire that stalked the populace during the late 1800's. However, the vampire they believe to have hunt down hapless victims was in fact a victim herself. Mercy Brown, the suspected vampire, now haunts this small town, ever vigilant that the same desecration that befell her does not happen to another.

Tuberculosis was a scourge in this part of New England. Hundreds succumbed to the horrible pathogen. Seeming as though people were consumed from the inside out, tuberculosis was often called 'consumption'. The symptoms of tuberculosis were awful to witness. The disease ate away at the lungs causing people to develop deep, guttural, coughs. The coughs were often accompanied by blood. A victims skin would become very pale, almost transparent revealing the veins beneath. Due to the frightening symptoms, people often looked to the supernatural to explain these ailments. Even though tuberculosis had been explained by science, treatment would be another fifty years away. People were often sent to sanitariums in hope that they would recover from their ailment.

Tuberculosis became a plague in the town of Exeter, and found the Brown family susceptible.

George and Mary Brown lived a good life as farmers. They were blessed with three children. Among them was the exuberant Mercy. Known as a child that was fearless, Mercy would often be seen walking fences. She was also known for her sharp tongue and short temper. Mercy was often in trouble and the townsfolk saw no good coming from her. The town was distracted from the plague of Mercy when tuberculosis snaked its way into the populace.

Among its victims in the town were Mercy's mother and sister. After their passing the townsfolk would often see Mercy spending most of her time in the graveyard, some said that she talked to the ghosts of her mother and sister there. Around this time the town began to whisper about Mercy, that she was unnatural, and could be the source of the plague.

However, Mercy and her brother Edwin became infected by tuberculosis. Mercy, through pride, stubbornness, and pure strength hid her symptoms. Edwin was sent to a sanitarium, but soon returned, his symptoms worse. Upon his return Edwin made claims that Mercy would come into his room at night and sit on his chest. Today, many believe that Mercy was coming to Edwin's aid, and Edwin's mind, taken by fever, concocted tales.

The tales, however, did their damage and people began to publicly call Mercy a vampire. Mercy, a strong nineteen year old, continued to hide her symptoms from the community, not wanting their pity. Many did not realize that Mercy herself was carrying tuberculosis, they only saw her transforming into a monster. Her skin had paled and her eyes hallowed. Ultimately, Mercy was not strong enough to fight off tuberculosis and after a strong battle died in 1896.

Looking to folklore to explain away the horror surrounding them, the townspeople claimed they saw Mercy Brown exiting her grave at night. They saw her bounding from roofs and saw her feasting on the blood of people. So intense were the claims that Mercy Brown was a vampire that it was decided that they would exhume her body. Mercy's father and brother Edwin were in attendance along with a large crowd of townsfolk. Upon opening Mercy's grave, they had found that decomposition had not taken place, and that when her skin was pricked she bled.

Overcome by fear, the town desecrated Mercy. They pulled her from her grave, cut open her chest and pulled out her ripened heart. They burned the heart on a rock in the graveyard. The townsfolk then mixed the ashes with water and served it to Edwin. Clouded by superstition, they believed this cannibalistic ritual would cure Edwin of tuberculosis. They returned Mercy to her grave, violated.

Edwin was not cured by drinking his sisters ashes. He soon died.

Despite evidence to the contrary many still believed that Mercy continued her vampiric ways. Others, however, witnessed new supernatural activity after the desecration of Mercy Brown. People began to see blue lights emanate from the cemetery. In addition, people would often see Mercy Brown's ghost wandering the cemetery and throughout the town.

Psychics have stated that the ghost of Mercy is unusual. She is able to pass on to the afterlife anytime she wants, however, she has decided to return to the cemetery and the town of Exeter to watch over the recently departed to make sure their rest is not defiled.

Many have seen Mercy's apparition wandering through gravestones at night. Others have stated that they have been pushed off of graves they were unknowingly standing on. People that have witnessed Mercy's ghost describe her as a young woman, often with a stern look on her face. Many people have focused on her eyes, describing them as intense and her stare is unwavering.

Today, the legend of Mercy as a vampire still persists. However as people became more educated about Mercy, and her desecration, it's not unusual for people to say a prayer for Mercy while in the cemetery. People have claimed that when they have said a prayer for Mercy, they are accompanied by the smell of roses following them out.

Many believe that Mercy's ghost is not confined to the cemetery. People believe that she now visits those that are terminally ill in Exeter. People have walked in on loved ones having conversations with Mercy. These conversations have been comforting to people, apparently Mercy tells them not to fear death, that she'll help them find their way.