Get ready to sink your teeth into a bizarre and blood curdling story, because this week we’re discussing the New England Vampire Panic! A time when fear, superstition, and a dash of hysteria convinced a rural community in Rhode Island that the dead were rising from their graves to prey on the living. Clara tells Sabrina about Mercy Brown, the so-called "last American vampire," whose exhumation in 1892 marked the peak of this macabre panic. So grab your pitchforks and head to the cemetery with us to learn about Victorian vampires!

See photos discussed in this episode on our instagram

Follow us on tiktok for videos that cover a condensed version of each topic!

SOURCES:

History.com - When New Englanders Blamed Vampires for Tuberculosis Deaths

Wikipedia - Mercy Brown vampire incident

Wikipedia - New England vampire panic

Newengland.com - Vampire Mercy Brown | When Rhode Island Was “The Vampire Capital of America”

History.com - The Last American Vampire

Smithsonian Magazine - The Great New England Vampire Panic

All That’s Interesting - Why The Mercy Brown Case Remains One Of History’s Craziest “Vampire” Incidents

My Macabre Roadtrip - Why Are There Cages Over Graves? It’s Not For Vampires!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.