Close your eyes and imagine a vampire. The image that comes to mind probably is that of Bela Lugosi in the role of Dracula. Since 1897, when Bram Stoker published his novel, the Count has dominated our imaginations. But another kind of vampire survived in outlying areas of New England more than 100 years before Stoker put pen to paper.
Dr. Michael Bell relates the stories of rural families who dug up the bodies of their loved ones and burned their hearts to save the living. These ordinary farmers, who were confronted with an illness that medicine could neither explain nor cure, blamed the dead. Bell summarizes his quest for this authentic vampire tradition, detailed in his award-winning book Food for the Dead: On the Trail of New England's Vampires that has led him into the field to conduct interviews, find cemeteries and gravestones, and even investigate archeological digs. He also searched published local histories, colonial records in town halls, old newspapers on microfilm, and genealogies.
In Vampires and Death in New England, Bell takes you on a journey where folklore and medical science meet to explain New England's vampire tradition. Your image of vampires will never again be the same.
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The event is hosted by the Tiverton Historical Society.
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