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.

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.

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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.

A history of espionage in Rhode Island during the Revolutionary War. Espionage played a vital role during the American Revolution in Rhode Island. The British and Americans each employed spies to discover the secrets, plans and positions of their enemy. Continental navy lieutenant John Trevett dressed as an ordinary sailor, grew out his beard and went from tavern to tavern in Newport gathering intelligence. Metcalf Bowler became a traitor on the order of Benedict Arnold, as he spied for the British while serving as a Patriot leader in Providence. Disguised as a peddler, Ann Bates spied for the British during the Rhode Island Campaign. When caught, one spy paid with his life, while others suffered in jail. Author Christian M. McBurney, for the first time, unravels the world of spies and covert operations in Rhode Island during the Revolutionary War. “McBurney tells a series of fascinating stories about the spies and their families, many of them prominent Newporters, in his book.” —The Newport Daily News “According to . . . McBurney, New York and Pennsylvania may have witnessed more spy activity in the Revolutionary War, but Rhode Island was not that far behind...”no theater of war produced such rich stories of spies and spying as Rhode Island.” That’s a pretty big brag for a state as small as ours, but McBurney does make his case very well. The fact that Newport was a major North American port at the time had a lot to do with that, but there are a few towns around the edges that turned up some surprising tales of intrigue and treason.” —Cranston Herald