Laura's Grave

The best known local legend in Burrillville may be that of Laura's Grave. And like all true folk legends, there are several versions of the story, as the following accounts reveal: "I remember that it had to be a full moon, and you had to walk around the grave a certain number of times (I don't remember how many) and then something spooky would happen. I never got all the way to her grave. I chickened out." "In the early 80s a lot of us went out there when there was a full moon on Friday the thirteenth. You were supposed to walk around her grave counter-clockwise thirteen times while chanting her name--and she would appear. But she never did." "People talk about the ghost of Laura, who's buried in a small cemetery way out in the woods. They say if you circle her grave three times and call her name, she will appear. . . . Shortly after hearing the story just before Halloween, we went in search of the spirit. We drove up one road and down another, going deeper and deeper into woods that seemed endless until we found the grave and followed the prescribed ritual. Nothing happened. Later, kids in town told us that it only worked under a full moon. Or maybe it was after the full moon, or at midnight or 3 a.m."

Text © Dr. Michael Bell