When
Cyril and I finally located the isolated cemetery, a stone's throw
from the Connecticut border, we immediately realized that it was
an ongoing destination for legend trippers. Aside from beer bottles
and other debris, we noted that Laura's gravestone has been destroyed,
stolen by vandals, or removed for safe keeping, because only the
base of a stone can be seen in the small graveyard that is built
on a embankment supported by a fieldstone wall. Word-of-mouth
history has it that a man named Clark Sherman and his three wives,
including Laura, are buried in this cemetery (Burrillville Historic
Cemetery #1). According to the Rhode Island cemeteries database,
this graveyard is indeed called the Sherman Lot and is supposed
to contain four burials. The database notes, "This cemetery has
been recorded but not checked." Where are the stones? Is Laura's
restless spirit that of a jealous wife unwilling to accept interment
with the other two wives of Clark Sherman?
Text © Dr. Michael Bell |