New England vampire panic

New England Vampire Panic

The New England Vampire Panic was a series of events that occurred in the 19th century, primarily in rural New England, where the bodies of recently deceased individuals were exhumed and treated in various ways to prevent them from returning from the grave. This phenomenon was part of a wider American and European tradition of vampire folklore, which in New England was often a response to outbreaks of tuberculosis, then known as consumption.

Background

The panic can be traced back to the late 18th century but reached its peak in the 19th century, particularly in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, and other parts of New England. The fear of vampires in New England was not based on the supernatural creatures of European folklore but rather on a misunderstanding of the natural processes of decomposition and the spread of disease. Consumption (tuberculosis) was a poorly understood disease at the time, characterized by a slow and wasting death. Families and communities, desperate to stop the spread of the disease, turned to folk remedies and superstitions, one of which was the belief that the first to die from the disease in a family was causing subsequent deaths from the grave.

Practices

The practices carried out to stop the supposed vampires varied but often involved exhuming the body of the person believed to be a vampire. If the body was found to be unusually well-preserved or if there was liquid blood in the heart, these were taken as signs that the deceased was indeed a vampire. Remedies included removing the heart and burning it, rearranging the corpse's bones, or flipping the body face-down in the grave. Ashes of the burned heart might be consumed by family members as a cure.

Notable Cases

One of the most famous cases was that of Mercy Brown, a young woman from Exeter, Rhode Island, who died of tuberculosis in 1892. Her body was exhumed along with those of other family members when her community feared that she was a vampire responsible for the illness of her brother. Her heart was burned, and the ashes were mixed with water for her brother to drink as a cure. He died shortly thereafter.

Cultural Impact

The New England vampire panic is a fascinating example of how health crises can give rise to folklore and superstition. It also reflects the fear and misunderstanding surrounding contagious diseases before the advent of modern medicine. The panic has been the subject of various books, articles, and documentaries, contributing to the rich tapestry of American folklore.

See Also

• Folklore
• Tuberculosis
• Vampire folklore in the United States