Witches, Wenches & Wild Women of Rhode Island

Witches, Wenches & Wild Women of Rhode Island
Author: M. E. Reilly-McGreen
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 141
Release: 2013-05-28
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1614230633

Discover the most fearsome and fascinating women to ever live in the Ocean State in this collection of wild historical profiles. In Witches, Wenches & Wild Women of Rhode Island, local historian M.E. Reilly-McGreen reveals true tales of women who caused scandals in their day. It’s a compendium of rebellious deeds, outlandish gossip, and superstition run amok. Mercy Brown was a nineteen-year-old consumption victim thought to be a vampire. Locals were so afraid of Mercy that her body was exhumed to perform a ritual banishment of the undead. Goody Seager was accused of infesting her neighbor’s cheese with maggots by using witchcraft. According to legend, Tall “Dutch” Kattern was an opium-eating fortuneteller whose curse set a ship aflame after its crew cast her ashore. Along with these tales, you’ll read of revolutionaries, like Julia Ward Howe, who invented Mother’s Day; and religious reformers like Anne Hutchinson, said to be the inspiration for Hawthorne's heroine in The Scarlet Letter; and many others.

Death in Early New England

Death in Early New England
Author: Robert A. Geake
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2023-07-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 1439678464

Death in early New England came early and often during those harsh first decades of settlement. Epidemics, hunger, accidents and childbirth contributed to a heavy toll in New England. Disease in some cases erased entire families, and almost always affected the majority of individuals in the communities. For most families, death was still a private affair. Traditions brought over with European customs and others that were strictly American were eventually interwoven, and these ceremonies, tokens and portraits of remembrance became part of these rites and rituals of mourning. Other forms of remembrance were carved into stone with heart-wrung epitaphs, the cause of death and brief biographies. Burial sites themselves evolved from family plots and church graveyards to public, garden-like cemeteries. Historian Robert A. Geake explores the development of rites and rituals of death in this New World.

Revolutionaries, Rebels and Rogues of Rhode Island

Revolutionaries, Rebels and Rogues of Rhode Island
Author: M.E. Reilly-McGreen
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 127
Release: 2011-06-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 161423843X

Rhode Island may be the smallest state, but it has the tallest tales. It's home to many larger-than-life men with exciting stories of mutiny, revolt and daring. Horror writer H.P. Lovecraft tries to escape the grasp of the demonic "Night-Gaunts" that haunt him. Captain William Kidd, convicted of piracy and murder, is hung and left to rot as a warning for others pursuing a similar career path. And Samuel Slater, Father of the Industrial Revolution, may be a revolutionary in our eyes, but he is considered a treasonous rogue by the English. Travel with M.E. Reilly-McGreen as she follows up her book Witches, Wenches and Wild Women of Rhode Island with tales of the best and worst men The Ocean State has to offer.

Rhode Island Legends

Rhode Island Legends
Author: M. E. Reilly-McGreen
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 141
Release: 2012-06-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 161423518X

A historical tour of the Ocean State’s spookiest sites, with photos included! Rhode Island’s ghostly heritage is as deep and profound as the history of the state itself. From the ghastly moaning bones of Mount Tom to the stately haunt of Judge Potter in a local library, Rhode Island’s apparitions have been causing fear for centuries. Follow M.E. Reilly-McGreen as she reveals the ghoulish stories of the state’s most haunted places. The author delves deep to unearth both little-known tales and those that have helped define the state’s supernatural history. From ghosts to monsters, this book is your guide to all things spooky in Rhode Island.

The White Witch of Rosehall

The White Witch of Rosehall
Author: Herbert G. de Lisser
Publisher: DigiCat
Total Pages: 213
Release: 2022-08-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

In 'The White Witch of Rosehall,' Herbert G. de Lisser spins a bewitching tale of love, power, and the supernatural set against the backdrop of 19th-century Jamaica. Drawing on the rich tapestry of Jamaican folklore and colonial history, de Lisser weaves a story that is both captivating and eerie, rooted in the prototypical plantation narrative and infused with gothic elements. His prose style marries the lush descriptions of the Caribbean landscape with the haunting aura of Rosehall, the reputedly haunted great house at the story's center. The novel's exploration of complex themes such as racism, slavery, and the cultural mysticism of obeah—an Afro-Caribbean spiritual practice—places it in the larger conversation of postcolonial literature and the legacy of the British Empire. Herbert G. de Lisser (1878–1944), a preeminent Jamaican journalist and author, was a seminal figure in his homeland's literary scene. His proximity to the sociopolitical developments of his time, including the stark racial and class divisions in post-emancipation Jamaica, profoundly influenced his writing. 'The White Witch of Rosehall' is perhaps his most famous work, arising from the legendary lore surrounding the real Annie Palmer, the alleged 'White Witch' who reigned with infamy over the Rosehall plantation. De Lisser's narrative is not only an unveiling of the deep-seated superstitions of the time but also a reflection on the complexities of colonial power dynamics. Recommended for aficionados of historical fiction and gothic romance, 'The White Witch of Rosehall' invites readers to delve into the dense underbrush of Jamaica's past. De Lisser's novel is an essential entry for those intrigued by the intersection of history and myth, and it provides a critical lens through which to examine issues of cultural identity and the unseen scars of colonialism. This DigiCat Publishing edition honors de Lisser's remarkable storytelling and ensures that new generations can unearth the chilling, yet telling, chronicle of The White Witch and the hauntingly beautiful land over which she ruled.

Wench

Wench
Author: Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2010-01-05
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0061966355

Dolen Perkins-Valdez’s enchanting and unforgettable novel, based on little-known fact, combines the narrative allure of Cane River by Lalita Tademy and the moral complexities of Edward P. Jones’s The Known World as it tells the story of four black enslaved women in the years preceding the Civil War. wench \'wench\ n. from Middle English “wenchel,”1 a: a girl, maid, young woman; a female child. Situated in Ohio, a free territory before the Civil War, Tawawa House is an idyllic retreat for Southern white men who vacation there every summer with their enslaved black mistresses. It’s their open secret. Lizzie, Reenie, and Sweet are regulars at the resort, building strong friendships over the years. But when Mawu, as fearless as she is assured, comes along and starts talking of running away, things change. To run is to leave everything behind, and for some it also means escaping from the emotional and psychological bonds that bind them to their masters. When a fire on the resort sets off a string of tragedies, the women of Tawawa House soon learn that triumph and dehumanization are inseparable and that love exists even in the most inhuman, brutal of circumstances—all while they bear witness to the end of an era. An engaging, page-turning, and wholly original novel, Wench explores, with an unflinching eye, the moral complexities of slavery. “Readers entranced by The Help will be equally riveted by Wench. A deeply moving, beautifully written novel told from the heart.”—USA Today

Candide

Candide
Author: Voltaire
Publisher: Prabhat Prakashan
Total Pages: 155
Release: 2024-09-09
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

Venture into the eerie and enigmatic with Ambrose Bierce’s collection of supernatural tales, "Can Such Things Be." This gripping anthology explores the boundaries of reality with stories that delve into the realms of the bizarre and the uncanny. What if the most unsettling experiences were not just figments of imagination but genuine encounters with the supernatural? Bierce’s masterful storytelling will leave you questioning the line between reality and the supernatural, challenging your perceptions of what is possible. With its chilling narratives and unsettling twists, this collection is perfect for readers who relish spine-tingling tales and the exploration of the unknown. Ideal for fans of classic horror and supernatural fiction. Are you prepared to confront the unsettling mysteries of "Can Such Things Be" and uncover the dark secrets that lie beyond the ordinary? Embrace the unknown—purchase "Can Such Things Be" today and dive into a world of supernatural intrigue and suspense!

The Fatal Flame

The Fatal Flame
Author: Lyndsay Faye
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 482
Release: 2015-05-12
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0698155947

The final installment in Lyndsay Faye’s Timothy Wilde series, which Lee Child called “solid-gold” and Gillian Flynn declared “spectacular.” No one in 1840s New York likes fires, copper star Timothy Wilde least of all. After a blaze killed his parents and another left him with a terrible scar, he has avoided flames of all kinds. So when a seamstress turned arsonist threatens Robert Symmes, a corrupt tycoon high in the Tammany Hall ranks, Timothy isn’t thrilled that Symmes consults him. His dismay escalates when his audacious and charismatic older brother, Valentine, himself deeply politically entrenched, decides to run against the incumbent, who they suspect is guilty of assault and far darker crimes. Immediately after his brother’s courageous declaration, Timothy finds himself surrounded by powerful enemies who threaten to harm those he cares about most. Meanwhile, the love of Timothy’s life, Mercy Underhill, unexpectedly appears on his doorstep and takes under her wing a starving Irish orphan who may be the key to stopping the combustions threatening the city—if only they can make sense of her cryptic accounts. The closer they come to deciphering her wild tales of witches and angels, however, the closer Timothy comes to the fiery and shocking conclusion that forces him to face everything he fears most. A boisterous and suspenseful book from a master of historical adventure, The Fatal Flame is a tale for the ages.

Journal of a Lady of Quality

Journal of a Lady of Quality
Author: Janet Schaw
Publisher: Applewood Books
Total Pages: 366
Release: 2009-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 1429016949

Alexander and Janet Schaw, Scottish siblings, began a journey in 1774 that would take them from Edinburgh to the Caribbean Islands and then to America. Part of the early wave of Scottish colonization, the pair visited family and friends who had already established themselves in the colonies. ""Journal of a Lady of Quality"" is Janet Schaw's account of this voyage through letters to a friend in Scotland. The letters describe the sights, scenery, and social life she encountered, but they also reveal the political atmosphere of an America on the verge of revolution. Stephen Carl Arch provides a new introduction for this Bison Books edition.