Ocean Born Mary Legend Lives On
The public loves a good story especially when it involves hidden gold in the backyard, a visiting ghost, and the tale of a newborn born at sea on a pirate ship. The story of “Ocean Born Mary” is a tall one, and it is explained very well by J. Dennis Robinson in his 2001 column As I Please: “The Truth About Ocean Born Mary.”
Supposedly, Mary lived in a home in Henniker, New Hampshire (although that is not true – her son lived there). As my sister lived in nearby Hillsboro, I remember being brought to the place for a scary and tintillating tour of the house just before the site was shut down for tours in 1965, after the owner’s death. On a whim, today, I did a “Google search” and came up with the following article by Robinson that you won’t want to miss:
http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please042101.html
You know, when regular, run-of-the-mill folks hear voices and make up stories, they are said to be having delusions. However, when businessmen try to turn a buck on a hoax, we call them entrepreneurs. Go figure.
Robinson closes his article with this statement, “Drip, drip, drip, the legend pounds away at the facts, one drop at a time, eroding away the annoying bits of truth and keeping the legend alive.”
At any rate, I hope that you will enjoy the article as much as I did! If you pay attention, you will see that the story involves textiles.
Owner, Quilter’s Muse Publications
