Haunting in Southern Maryland? Legend of Moll Dyer

Haunting in Southern Maryland, The Legend of Moll Dyer. Moll Dyer is the name of a legendary 17th-century resident of Leonardtown, Maryland, who is said to have been accused of witchcraft and chased out of her home by the local townsfolk on a winter night. Her body was allegedly found a few days later, partially frozen to a large stone. 

Moll Dyer lived in 17th-century Leonardtown, Maryland. Which is in St. Marys County in Southern Maryland. The legend has it that in February in the late 1690s Southern Maryland went through Witch Trials. These resulted in many acquittals and one recorded death by execution. Also, a deadly plague and a poor harvest of crops had taken their toll on the small Leonardtown community. During that harsh winter people feared that they would not make it through the season. As a result of these fears the deeply religious community claimed that the famine, disease, and ice storms were the product of witchcraft. 

Townfolk decided that Moll Dyer, an older woman, was a witch; and she had called upon the Devil to terrorize the people. Events rapidly escalated and a mob was formed with the intent of running her out of town.  The crowd set fire to her hut, with Moll barely managing to escape by running into the woods. She reportedly ran a long distance before tiring.

She found a boulder and placed her right hand upon it. She then raised her left hand to the moon and called down a curse on the people of Leonardtown. Days later, her body was found frozen to the stone, with her hand still held up towards the sky.

The ghost of Moll Dyer is said to still haunt the land surrounding Leonardtown, looking for the men who forced her from her home. It is also claimed that a handprint of discolored stone can occasionally be seen on the "Moll Dyer Rock" in front of the Tudor Hall Mansion. 

Source, Wikipedia.

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