The Great New England Vampire Panic | History & Archaeology | Smithsonian Magazine

 The Great New England Vampire Panic | History & Archaeology | Smithsonian Magazine

This is a really fascinating article about supposed vampires in northeastern New London County, Connecticut and eastern Rhode Island in the late 19th century.

As described in the article, Lena Brown's grave in the Chestnut Hill Cemetery in Exeter, Rhode Island still receives visitors.

The Vampires Rescue a Pirate from a New London Jail

In Chapter 10 of Whaling City Vampires: Love After Death, vampires Amy and Ruthie decide to slip into a jail cell in the New London Courthouse building to meet an actual pirate. After meeting the pirate and learning more about his situation they decide to free him and help him escape his appointment for execution.

Here's an image of the courthouse as it may have looked in 1850 when the story takes place:

http://jud.ct.gov/external/news/NL_rededication.htm

Here's the link to the page where I found this image: http://jud.ct.gov/external/news/NL_rededication.htm

The courthouse was built in the 1780's and still stands and is in use today. I have no idea whether it once had jail cells in the basement, but it does in the story. In the story it was also built earlier and survived the burning of New London by the British led by the local traitor Benedict Arnold.

Notice the tree on the corner. This is the tree where Susie and Amy hide behind in Chapter 6 when Amy shows Ruthie the house she grew up in.

Here's what the courthouse looks like today:

http://newlondonlandmarks.org/NLLguidebook/blueTour11.html

 

The tree was replaced by roadsigns! Actually, the tree was probably killed by disease or a hurricane.

Vampires Searching New London from the Roof of the Custom House

Amy, Ruthie and Susie search for Reverend Williams from the roof of the Custom House in New London around 1850. This building still stands on Bank Street and is now used as the Custom House Maritime Museum. The Custom House pier across the railroad tracks directly behind the Custom House is a much cleaner and nicer place for a stroll than during the busy whaling days where the story takes place.

Amy's Wardrobe

Amy's Taste in Dresses
 I imagine Amy would have worn dresses similar to this one. Whether she was stealing a new dress or deciding what to wear for the evening, she always imagined the way Robert would like to see her when she chose a dress.

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Here's the link:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/299149

The PDF can be read with free Adobe Acrobat!

Vampires Go Clothes Shopping!

Wouldn't it be great to be able to shop freely taking whatever you like without having to pay for it? Of course, the vampires were stealing, but that's one of the advantages of being a vampire along with superhuman strength and invulnerability to sickness and, unless decapitated or staked in the heart, immortality. That was the greatest part of the sci-fi movie The Omega Man starring Charlton Heston. Believing to be the last man on earth he went into stores taking whatever he needed and taking whichever car he liked. After seeing that movie I remember remarking to my mother how great it would be to be the last person on earth and have everything to myself. She quickly listed off many disadvantages of that situation that would surely outweigh the one advantage of having everything in the world just for me.

Amy loves to shop for free dresses, but does so carefully so as not to make any of the shop owners suspicious.When Ruthie is feeling down Amy expects Ruthie to have her spirits lifted by shopping for a new dress just as she does. In fact, Amy uses dress shopping as a cure for any bad mood and is baffled when Ruthie fails to be cheered up by dress shopping. However, Amy is thrilled when Susie is delighted by Amy's shopping technique. Unlike Ruthie, Susie is very impressed by Amy's attitude toward shopping and is eager to devise ways to have even more luxuries than just fine dresses. Susie wants to take advantage of all the ways she can improve her life with her new vampire abilities but Amy and Ruthie are constantly oppressing her desires for fear of being discovered and destroyed.

In fact, Susie suggests that they clean out the pockets of their victims and use the money to obtain luxuries for themselves which is distasteful to Ruthie and terrifying to Amy who, as a rule, doesn't do business with humans for fear of being recognized, hunted and destroyed. Susie, citing all the strengths and advantages they now have as vampires, is frustrated and resents being so restrained when she feels the world is hers for the taking. She wants to hunt out luxuries for herself just as passionately as she hunts for blood.

John Strapper's Blood is Drained and He is Left for Dead

Searching the alleys for blood Amy and Ruthie are surprised when the back door of a hotel on Bank Street violently flies open  and a man and woman tumble out into the alley. Ruthie is content drinking the blood of rats but Amy is thrilled to possibly find a human to drain when they realize the man is attempting to rape the woman. As the victim struggles to free herself from her attacker Ruthie easily tears him away from her and tosses him against the alley wall where Amy is greedily waiting to drain his blood and leave him for dead.

As I wrote this chapter I was imagining the alley behind Ernie's Cafe in New London. Ermie's front door is on Bank Street but this alley is accessed from Golden Street. This is how it looks now, obviously, much different than it must have looked in 1850 when the story takes place. The Royal Hotel is above Ernie's and that is the hotel I had in mind while I was writing, although the original Royal Hotel burned down and was rebuilt as this brick building. I think the original was a wooden structure, but I could be wrong.

The Vampires Fly to the Roof of the Custom House

Custom House, Bank Street, New London, Connecticut

Amy, Ruthie and Susie learn they can fly thanks to Susie's enthusiasm for attack and her appetite for blood. Attempting to pounce on her prey she feels herself slightly rise off the ground and after sharing her experience with Amy and Ruthie is challenged to prove her theory. Amy and Ruthie feel that they certainly would have known long ago if they had the ability to fly and as a relatively new vampire Susie must be mistaken. They are soon surprised and amazed as Susie climbs onto an overturned ashcan and launches herself forward landing several feet away.

Shortly after, they fly to the roof of the Custom House to get a better view of the city in their search for the mysterious new vampire in town who is endangering all of their lives with his reckless, brutal attacks on the townspeople.

Susie Becomes a Vampire in the Antientist Cemetery in New London

After Amy and Ruthie kill Susie's attacker and lead her away from the murder scene in Chapter 21, they flee to the "city's colonial burial ground", where they transform Susie into a vampire. They believe they are helping Susie by rescuing her from a life of victimization and also saving her from being accused of the murder of her attacker, however; when Susie learns of her transformation she is not grateful as Amy had hoped.

 The long large stones are engraved and can still be read. Many of the headstones can also still be read. Others have been worn smooth over the centuries.

Looking north parallel to Hempstead Street.

I chose to have this scene take place in a cemetery because it was fairly close to the scene of the murder and I assumed it would be deserted in the drizzly autumn night. The burial ground I had in mind was the Antientist or Ye Olde Burial Ground on Hempstead Street in New London. In 1850 when the story takes place this grave yard was already around 200 years old.

Northeastern view toward the Thames River and the town and city of Groton on the other bank.

Amy and Robert

“One evening I was at a spring ball dancing with all who requested the honor and attempting to decide who would become my husband when I saw a strangely beautiful man standing apart from the crowd. He was tall and well dressed and had dark wavy hair. He was the most handsome man I've ever seen. He was watching me. When my dance partner returned me to my seat by my mother, he approached and introduced himself to us in such a smooth and lovely voice. The sound of which caused a very calming yet exciting feeling throughout my entire being. His name was Robert. My mother questioned him relentlessly, which I found quite embarrassing and feared her protective diligence would deter his interest in me, but he didn’t seem to mind and politely answered all of her questions. He said he was in town on business and the man he had come to see had invited him along to the ball. Finally, my mother allowed him to be my dance partner. Ruthie, I had never felt that way about any man as I felt for Robert. He led me to the dance floor and his touch was like the thrill of heat lightening coursing through my veins and when his dark eyes looked into mine it was like the stars shining in the deep black sky of a hot summer night. I could barely keep from gasping in pleasure and surprise.  When our eyes met as we faced each other on the dance floor it seemed as though in that instant our very souls became one and we were joined for life. His attire and his manner proved to me that he came from a respectable family and his dancing was flawless, masterful yet smooth. I trembled and thought I might faint with excitement as he led me around the floor, I was so taken by him as he held me so tight.”

In Chapter 3 Amy describes to Ruthie how she first met Robert and experienced love at first sight. The scene is a familiar and common one in many 18th and 19th century novels. Chaste matrons, usually mothers or relatives, escort their expensively attired virgins to the ball to display to eligible suitors who survey the available ladies in hope of finding an attractive wife with a wealthy father. The matronly escorts supervise the dance to ensure the young ladies return home with their virtue intact. I often wondered why these men at the balls didn't just knock the old gals out of the way and ruin the helpless virgins out on the veranda or in a secluded room. It doesn't seem as though a middle-aged woman would be much of a shield against a horny young man and a beautiful young lady in an era when young ladies were primarily sex objects. Of course, gentlemen were hopefully raised with some respect for women and if not, the fear of the father's retaliation may have served as a deterrent.

Much of Amy's attraction to Robert may have been his mesmerizing vampire charms but I like to think that it was purely physical attraction. I wanted their passion to rival that of Emily Bronte's Heathcliff and Cathy of Wuthering Heights. First love is powerful in itself, but more so for Amy who is totally inexperienced and completely innocent. As we learn later in the story, Robert had the same reaction as Amy even though he is older and assumably more experienced. When two souls become joined as one nothing, not even death (or "undeath") can keep them apart.

Susie Burdick

As the lifeless body slumped to the dirt in the trash-strewn alley, Ruthie made her way through it to look down at the corpse, “Good Lord,” she shook her head in sympathy, “there’s no animal wild enough around here that can do that much damage.”

“We’ll have to dump him off the end of a pier,” Amy said.

“But look at his neck,” Ruthie said, “it’s torn apart. When his body washes up to shore, people will see his neck and know he didn’t drown.”

“All right then,” Susie said, “we’ll just have to cut his head off so no one will see his neck. We’ll tear the damaged skin off completely.”

“What!” Ruthie and Amy both looked at Susie in shock and disgust.

“Cut his head off?” Amy asked, “the idea is repulsive, Susie. What would we use for a tool if we did?”

“Amy!” Ruthie exclaimed, “Would you even consider doing such a horrible thing?”

“How do you suggest we dispose of the body without casting suspicion, Ruthie?” Amy asked.

“The train will arrive soon,” Ruthie suggested, “let’s lay him in its path.”

“Fine,” Amy agreed, ‘but not here. We’ll carry him down river where there is less chance of witnesses. We will have to wait and watch to be sure the train comes and does its job.”

“Don’t I get to give an opinion on this subject?” Susie asked, “Maybe we have the strength to tear off his head with our own hands. Or perhaps simply tear the skin away from his neck.”

Amy caught her breath in surprise and disbelief while Ruthie trembled in fear and revulsion. They both stared wide-eyed at their new companion until Amy regained the ability to speak, “What will the townspeople think when they discover his mutilated body? How could you even entertain such a gruesome thought? When you kissed your babies farewell did all the human feeling leave you entirely?”

This is an excerpt from Chapter 24 of Whaling City Vampires: Love Beyond Death that shows the contrast between Susie and her sires. Susie didn't know vampires existed until she became one herself, but she adapted quickly and wanted to learn about all of her vampire traits and use them to her advantage while Amy's priority was to simply keep herself alive until her lover Robert's return. Ruthie, although grateful for Amy's friendship, was a devout Christian and saw herself as the most evil of sinners. Allowing herself to take advantage or enjoy any of her vampire traits for her own personal gain would only make her hate herself more and drive her even further from God.

My Motivation for Writing Whaling City Vampires: Love Beyond Death

When I finished my Bachelors degree in English in 2004 and after my father passed away in 2003, I wanted to write a novel that utilized some of the things I learned in college while also paying tribute to my father’s memory. I based the story in New London, Connecticut-The Whaling City-for my late father because he was born and raised there and had great affection for his hometown. He worked most of his life at the Savings Bank of New London (It’s a whale of a bank!) and was a member of the New London Lions Club where he happily and generously performed many years of community service.

In order to use some of my college education in my writing, I based a couple of the characters on some of my favorites in the novels I read and enjoyed as assignments. Amy is a composite of the heroines of many 18th and 19th century novels of the literary canon. Her father was a wealthy respected man and her mother was an obedient, devoted wife and excellent housekeeper and mother. Amy was raised to become a good wife like her mother, too fragile and weak minded for anything else. Bachelors, approved by her father, would be allowed to visit Amy in the hopes of winning her hand (and her father’s money) in marriage. The main goal of any young woman was to find a wealthy husband in good standing in society.

Ruthie was loosely based on Frado from Our Nig; or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black by Harriet E. Wilson, which was a reading assignment for an African-American Literature course I took. I loved Frado and so badly wanted her to be free and have all the opportunities and happiness as the entitled white children. Ironically, Ruthie gained freedom by becoming a vampire, but because it wasn’t her choice to become a vampire, she was robbed of some human freedoms.
The remaining characters weren’t intentionally based on any precise elements from college, but I’m sure my reading of so many 19th century novels as part of my studies contributed to their situations and personalities.

 I chose to write a vampire novel because of my love for the old vampire soap opera, Dark Shadows, which ran for several years in the late 60’s to early 70’s when I was around 10 or 12 years old. Like so many kids my age, I would run home from school, in my case the bus stop, so I wouldn’t miss it. My mother would already have the TV turned on and tuned onto the channel when I got there and we would watch it together.

Barnabus Collins was a classy vampire. He had his moments of blood lust that took precedence over his respect for human life when he couldn’t resist his natural urges to feed on blood at the expense of an innocent person. But he also suffered from self-hatred and guilt over his unnatural cursed condition and longed to be human again and enjoy the sun on his face, a good meal and loving relationships. So, the vampires in Whaling City Vampires are based on the Barnabus Collins type of vampire where they must remain hidden from the daylight, find discreet ways of acquiring the blood they need for sustenance and can only be killed by decapitation or a wooden stake through the heart.

Another reason I chose to write about vampires is that I could place them pretty much anywhere in time and leave myself the option of writing a sequel years later while the characters would remain the same age. When I first started writing the story I wrote about Amy in present day New London and the story that would become the final book would be a long flashback. I was going to reunite her with Robert in present day New London, but I didn’t think vampires could remain undetected in one small city like New London for over 150 years. But I suppose in fiction, anything is possible.