Her Vacant Chair
This rocking chair headstone is allegedly haunted by the spirit of a young girl who tragically passed away in 1882.
The Mayflower Hill Cemetery in Taunton was established in the mid 19th century and houses numerous historical graves. However, there is one grave and headstone that has a unique design which not only holds a tragic backstory, but also allegedly possessed by the spirit resting there.
Pearl E. French was born on August 21, 1878, daughter of Edwin and Emma French. Pearl’s life was cut short as she soon died from spinal meningitis on March 26, 1882, aged 3. Her parents were devastated, and an Empire style rocking chair headstone was built titled “Her Vacant Chair.” The name is a reference to a poem published in 1850 by Richard Coe Jr. entitled “The Vacant Chair” which is about the heartbreak of childhood mortality.
Pearl’s cousin, Veva Lucille Johnson, who also died of meningitis would be buried next to her in 1884 and as the years went by rumors began to emerge of strange and unusual happenings around their graves. Visitors have reported the rocking chair headstone moving, a ghostly silhouette sitting in the chair, and floating orbs and lights in the vicinity. In the mid 1980s, the headstone was cruelly destroyed by vandals but later restored and people today occasionally leave toys and gifts on the chair in remembrance of Pearl.
Know Before You Go
To find the headstone, enter the cemetery from MA 138 Broadway and turn right. There is a small white building, and the headstone will be nearby on the left.
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