The Real-Life Vampire of New England: Mercy Brown’s Unearthly Afterlife

Long before Dracula haunted bookshelves and screens, rural America had its own vampire legend, and it was terrifyingly real. In 1892, in the snow-covered town of Exeter, Rhode Island, fear gripped a community as an invisible killer swept through one family. But this wasn’t just illness. The townsfolk believed something much darker was at work… something undead.

The Brown family was struck by a mysterious and deadly illness, what we now know as tuberculosis. First, Mary Eliza, the mother, died. Then daughter Mary Olive. Then son Edwin began to waste away. But it was 19-year-old Mercy Brown, who died last, that would go on to become known as the “Last American Vampire.”

As Edwin’s health declined, the townspeople whispered of an old legend: the dead could rise and drain the life from the living. Desperate and terrified, Mercy’s father gave in. With local help, they exhumed the bodies of his deceased family members, and what they found was straight out of a horror novel.

Mary and Mary Olive were reduced to bone. But Mercy’s body was untouched, her corpse strangely preserved in the freezing tomb. Her cheeks were still flush. Blood was found in her heart. To the frightened townsfolk, the answer was clear, Mercy Brown was feeding from beyond the grave.

In a ritual as horrifying as it was futile, they cut out Mercy’s heart, burned it on a nearby stone, and mixed the ashes into a potion for Edwin to drink, a folk cure to stop the vampire’s curse. He died anyway.

The story of Mercy Brown became national news and directly influenced Bram Stoker, who kept newspaper clippings about the case while writing Dracula. Her grave still exists today, often visited by those seeking proof that sometimes, legends have teeth.

Feed your dark side.

At Strange & Twisted Apparel, we have the internet’s largest collection of horror-themed tops and tees. Our Horror T-Shirt Collection features designs inspired by horror movies, the paranormal, tales of the unexplained, unsolved mysteries, true crime, and the dark myths that never died. Find them in our Horror Collection—crafted for those who crave true darkness.

Find the perfect cursed shirt at www.strangeandtwisted.com