Before he died, he told Mary where he'd hidden his gold, and he asked her to bury him beneath the hearth in the home they'd shared so happily.
She honored his wishes, and lived a long and comfortable life, never leaving the Henniker home. She barely touched the treasure buried in her garden, because Don Pedro had left such a fortune.
One of Mary's hobbies was painting, and the American eagle and stars she painted over the front door of the home, can still be seen there today. Inside, her landscape murals also decorate many rooms in the home.
After her death in 1814, her spirit remained in the house. In the early 20th century, the home was opened to the public and visitors often saw her rocking chair sway gently as she let them know she welcomed them.
Mary has been sensed near the hearth she tended carefully after it became the final resting spot of Don Pedro. Two state policemen saw her one night, crossing the road in front of her house.
Hans Holzer, the famous ghost expert, has conducted two different and successful seances to contact Mary. As recently as 1963, she put out a blazing fire in the house, while the owners watched in amazement.
On many Halloween nights, Mary rises from her grave in Henniker's Centre Cemetery (twelve rows back from the front gate, and marked with a special plaque), and rides a magnificent horse-drawn coach to her home. (Her grave is shown in the photo, below.)
Everyone who has seen Mary's ghost, comments on her red hair, green eyes, and magnificent stature, at about six feet tall. She is, by all accounts, an astonishingly beautiful woman as a ghost, just as she was in life.
Her home is now privately owned and definitely NOT open to visitors. However, Ocean-Born Mary remains one of America's most famous and beloved ghosts.
That is the legend, and it is a wonderful story. Unfortunately, it is only half true.
If you enjoyed that tale, thanks for visiting this site. Return regularly for more stories of ghosts, faeries, and magickal legends of the Otherworld.
However, if you want the truth about Ocean-Born Mary, click here for what really happened. It is not nearly as romantic as the ghost story.
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