The Swamp Bride

Rhode Island · United States · House

Katherine Donahue was to marry in September 1810s. A man who lived near her, alone and obsessed with her, is the other name in the story.

The account is set in August in the 1810s, in the woods and swampland at Mapleville in Burrillville, Rhode Island, and it comes with names attached, which is unusual for folklore of this age.

Katherine Donahue was tall, with dirty blonde hair, and engaged to Jonathan Cuttle. They were to be married that September. By every description her life was in order, with one exception. A man named David Jones lived alone nearby and was obsessed with her.

One day Katherine and her younger brother Charles walked down to a nearby swamp.

That is where the tellings converge and where the story gets its name. She is remembered as the Swamp Bride, for a wedding that did not take place.

None of the three names has been traced to any record we can check, and the account should be read as legend rather than history despite the specificity. What the specificity does show is how long this has been told in one small community, because that level of detail only survives where a story is repeated often.

FAQ

Where is The Swamp Bride located?

The Swamp Bride is in Rhode Island, United States.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.