The Legend
The town of Falmouth, Massachusetts was first settled by English colonists in 1660, and named by Bartholomew Nye after Falmouth, England, Nye’s home port. Early commercial activities were salt works, whaling, shipping, and farming.
Shortly after becoming officially incorporated in 1686, however, a series of gruesome murders stunned the town. A pattern soon became apparent: the grisly murders occurred on local farms and only under a full Harvest Moon. While no one had ever witnessed the murders, many reported seeing a tall, shadowy creature resembling a scarecrow feeling the scene of the crimes. Paranoid town officials banned the use of scarecrows on farms in an attempt to end the crimes. Numerous attempts to trap and capture the murderous Scarecrow proved futile. After a decade of unsolved deaths and desperate to put an end to the crimes, Bartholomew Nye sent word back to England for help.
Shortly thereafter, on a cool autumn eve, a small ship arrived in Quisset Harbor, which was met by Nye. He welcomed a stranger, who was donned in tails and a top hat, and then whisked him away in a horse drawn carriage. Later that night, in an undisclosed location, Nye introduced this stranger to a small group of town officials. The mysterious man from England told the group that he was a “Showman of the Bizarre”, and had certain power in dealing with the supernatural. Reportedly, his traveling circus of mysterious oddities had made this Showman a wealthy man. The Showman convinced the group that he could capture the wicked Scarecrow once and for all. But the safety of the townspeople would come at a hefty price. The Showman was to be paid for his services in gold coins, and in addition, he demanded ownership of the Nye family estate in East Falmouth, where he would live out his days. The town officials reluctantly agreed, except for Nye, who did not want to leave his family home. Powerless, Nye turned over his property. Then, with bags of gold coins slung over his shoulder, the Showman disappeared into the night.
As the harvest moon approached, townspeople understandably grew uneasy. People did not travel at night, and women and children were kept behind locked doors. On the eve of the full moon, the Showman appeared on the Village Green and proclaimed that the Scarecrow would be apprehended that very night. As nighttime fell, all was quiet, until a commotion was heard on the Nye estate. The townspeople flocked to Nye Manor, flaming torches in hand. To their dismay, the Nye family was discovered murdered in a small shed behind the main house. Outraged, the angry mob descended upon the mansion, vowing revenge on the scheming Showman. Surprisingly, the Showman greeted them at the door, and explained that while he had arrived at the Nye estate too late to save the Nye family, he had, in fact, captured the villainous scarecrow. The crowd demanded proof, so the Showman led the crowd to the courtyard. There, on a stage for all to see, was what appeared to be a lifeless scarecrow, propped up in a steel cage. The Showman convinced the people of Falmouth to allow him to live on the estate for one year, and if, after one year had passed; there were any murders or signs of the Scarecrow at all, the Showman would return the gold, leave the Nye estate, and travel back to England.
A year passed without incident, as did another, followed by another. Decades went by, and the town folk began to forget about the scarecrow and the murders altogether. The Showman kept to himself, and rumor had it that he discovered a formula to prevent himself from aging. Centuries later, the Showman reportedly returned to England in 2006, but has not been heard from since.
The townspeople never knew for sure what had happened on that autumn night in 1697, but as far as they were concerned, the murders had stopped and all was well in Falmouth. The Nye Estate is now dilapidated and in disrepair. A handful of the Showman’s servants, some reportedly “undead”, are said to inhabit the once proud Manor, awaiting the eventual return of their master.
Some say that to this day, on a still October night, under the Harvest Moon, you can hear the cries of the Nye Family, as their spirits roam their estate for eternity. Others say that if you watch the shadows along the edge of the woods, you will see the Scarecrow, still out there, still searching for victims.