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 |