TIVERTON, R.I. (WLNE) — West Place Animal Sanctuary is honoring Erna the Crested Pekin Duck, Rhode Island’s oldest-known duck who lived to be 17-and-a-half years old.

Erna was the sanctuary’s first rescue, and the last member of the original group of animals rescued in 2007.

The animal sanctuary plans to remember Erna at the entrance to the property, with a headstone and plants, titled “Erna’s Garden” once completed.

“We never really did anything special with this area, but we decided that Erna deserved something a little more than just a proper headstone,” Executive Director Wendy Taylor said. “We’ve been working on this for the past week or so, and we’ll continue to work on it until we finish.”

Taylor said Erna was more than just a rescue, but also a motherly figure to other animals at the sanctuary.

“I don’t think West Place would’ve been able to do what we’ve done all this time if it hadn’t been for her,” Taylor said. “Her fostering was in the hundreds, we stopped counting many years ago.”

Taylor described Erna as “spunky” and a “tomboy” as a younger duck, who grew with love through motherhood.

“When she got into her older years, that was when she had that old grandmotherly love to give,” Taylor said.  “That’s when all the other birds started taking care of her, it really was a full life cycle for her.”

Erna is survived by her daughter Sesame and nephew Duncan, who has the potential to pass Erna’s memorable age, coming up on 16-and-a-half years old.

Taylor told ABC 6 News that Crested Pekin Ducks usually live between eight to twelve years, which is why Erna’s age is so significant.

West Place Sanctuary is a finalist in the Land Rover Defender Service Awards, according to Taylor, who said anyone who wishes to support the organization can vote online.

“We were going to participate in this anyway,” Taylor said. “But once it started and we lost Erna, now we know we really need to win this in her honor.”

KINGSTON, R.I. – Oct. 9, 2024 – The Rhode Island Black Business Association (RIBBA), a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating the racial wealth gap in Rhode Island, has announced the start of its highly anticipated Emerging Leaders Development Program for fall 2024, in partnership with the University of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Department of Labor & Training.

The program, now in its fourth year, is relying on a partnership with URI to advance the program while counting URI alumni in its ranks. The program will develop and advance the careers of young professionals already in the workforce, at businesses across the state, ranging from Amica and Blue Cross Blue Shield to Tides Family Services and Washington Trust, representing a range of fields and industries. The seven-month program is designed to empower mid- to senior-level participants living or working in Rhode Island with skills and knowledge to advance their careers.

The 30 professionals selected for this year’s cohort hail from diverse communities throughout Southern New England, including Providence, Cranston, Woonsocket, Lincoln, Central Falls, as well as Attleboro and Malden, Massachusetts.

This year’s program will take place at RIBBA’s new equity hub headquarters on Smith Hill in Providence. With funding from the Rhode Island Department of Labor & Training, Real Jobs Initiative, the program is offered at no cost. Emerging Leader candidates must have at least five years of experience in their profession and hold a mid-level leadership or executive position in Rhode Island to apply for the program.

This year’s cohort, launching this October, includes URI alumni working at organizations across the state. They’ll each receive a comprehensive blueprint to accelerate their career, expand leadership and gain greater responsibility and influence within their respective industries.

Elexsis Cunningham ’13 is excited to join. A housing manager at Crossroads Rhode Island, she says she wanted to join to become a better leader: “In high school I never thought I would come this far. I didn’t even want to go to college. Here it is several years later and I have my degree and am in a management role. I’m ready to accomplish much more.”

Kaitlin (Jarvis) Carver ’11, a clinical manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield, adds, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in the Emerging Leaders Development Program offered by RIBBA. I believe this program is going to help me unlock another door on my journey as a woman leader. I’m excited to learn new perspectives and angles that I can apply in my current and future roles.”

URI boost

Now in its fourth year, Emerging Leaders has established itself as a pioneer program for career advancement in Rhode Island. RIBBA staff say they have partnered with URI’s Office of Strategic Initiatives to elevate the program’s impact.

“This program is essential for empowering a new generation of leaders in Rhode Island’s diverse community,” says Lisa Ranglin, president and CEO of RIBBA. “With the support of our partners, we are empowering them to break through barriers and become dynamic, impactful leaders in the state.”

“The challenges and opportunities facing the Rhode Island economy demand diverse leaders,” says John Olerio, executive director of URI’s Office of Strategic Initiatives. “The University of Rhode Island is thrilled to partner with RIBBA to empower these emerging changemakers with the dynamic leadership skills and strategies they will need to drive innovation and equitable economic growth across industries and communities.”

URI’s office of Strategic Initiatives, housed in Edwards Hall, connects innovation, creativity, and experimentation found at Rhode Island’s flagship research university to the Rhode Island business community and regional workforce. To learn more, visit here.

Learn more about the Emerging Leaders program.

The hidden stories at Brown University

University Hall, the most well-known building on Brown University’s campus, was built in 1770. The property was converted into an Army hospital to treat wounded soldiers during the Revolutionary War, and some storytellers claim a ghost of one of those soldiers could be seen in a second-floor window.

That’s not the only creepy place at Brown, which is riddled with history and lore. The Annmary Brown Memorial is a museum and mausoleum that opened in 1907, named in honor of the granddaughter of the university’s namesake — Nicholas Brown Jr. It’s closed to the public while it undergoes a restoration, but is expected to reopen in 2025.

Brown’s John Hay Library also has four books that are bound with human skin, including an edition of Vesalius’s landmark 1543 anatomical atlas, “On the Fabric of the Human Body.” The university previously brought these books out for certain events and Halloween until 2019, when the library’s new director at the time halted showings. Images of the books’ pages have been posted online, but access to the physical books is strictly limited to those conducting research on anthropodermic bindings or on medical ethics.

The old farm Colonial that is now the ‘Conjuring’ House in Harrisville

In 1973, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren went into the old clapboard Colonial on Round Top Road to conduct a seance in an attempt to rid the home of the spirits that were allegedly tormenting the Perron family. These entities, they claim, never left. The Perron’s eldest daughter, Andrea Perron, wrote a memoir about the family’s experiences in the house. The memoir, “House of Darkness: House of Light,” noted that the Warrens suggested that Bathsheba was the name of an entity disturbing the family.

“The Conjuring,” a 2013 blockbuster movie, was loosely based on the Warren’s papers, but added a dramatic Hollywood spin. Bathsheba Sherman was a farmwife who lived an ordinary life before her death in May 1885. Sherman’s obituary said she was “a decent Christian woman,” and historians say she was never accused of wrongdoing in her lifetime. The leaders of the Burrillville Historical Society raised funds to restore Sherman’s gravestone, and are working to set the record straight on the woman who died more than a century ago.

For years, the home’s current and former owners have rented it out for people to conduct overnight paranormal investigations — including to a Globe reporter. In 2022, it was sold for $1.525 million to Jacqueline Nuñez, a Boston developer with a passion for the paranormal. Since taking over, she’s had a few problems of her own. In September 2024, the Globe reported that an employee was fired by Nuñez, who alleged a ghost accused the employee of stealing money from the business.

The remains of Hanton City, which dates back to the late 1600s

Hidden deep in the woods in Smithfield are the remains of Hanton City, which was a small village that dates back to the 1600s and was abandoned sometime during the early 19th century. Most of it has been overgrown, and the remnants of a few cellar stone foundations are the only things left of the original buildings, which have rotted away. One local urban explorer, Jason Allard, traveled there on two separate occasions with his mom to create a video of the lost city for his popular YouTube channel. He told the Globe the ruins are scattered around a one-mile radius and there typically aren’t any trails leading to them. It took them a total of 12 hours just to track down and film the remains.

“It was strange walking around there because of how isolated it feels despite being in Smithfield,” he said.

In his video, Allard said he found a water well that was still uncovered and held together after all these years. Allard said Hanton City peaked as nothing more than a small town in the 1730s with a population of mostly poor tanners and shoe makers.

The tunnels of Fort Adams

Starting in 1799, Fort Adams was a United States Army post, and its first commander was Captain John Henry, who was later credited with starting the War of 1812. A Ghost Hunters investigation in 2019 allegedly confirmed to some locals the paranormal activity they suspected after hearing knocking noises, whimpering sounds, doors opening unexpectedly, and even a child’s voice.

Barnaby Castle and America’s first recorded murder by mail

Jerothmul B. Barnaby was a magnate in the ready-to-wear clothing industry with a large store in downtown Providence. In 1875, he commissioned an architectural firm to build him a home that matched his wild tastes on Broadway, which was nicknamed Providence’s Victorian boulevard. But in 1891, Barnaby’s widow Josephine was killed after she drank a poisoned bottle of whiskey she received through the mail from an unknown sender. Dr. Thomas Thatcher Graves, her physician and business partner, was convicted of murder after a highly publicized six-week trial. It was the first recorded murder that was committed through the mail in US history. Graves was sentenced to death and his defense team appealed the decision, but he allegedly committed suicide prior to his execution.

The story gets even juicier: it’s believed by some descendants that John Conrad, Josephine’s son-in-law, might have been the murderer. His own grandson and Josephine’s great grandson, author Barnaby Conrad, wrote “A Revolting Transaction” in 1983, which accused John Conrad of killing Josephine but also of potentially bribing a prison guard to slip poison into Graves’s food.

The lottery curse at Hearthside House in Lincoln

Quaker Stephen Hopkins Smith, who lived in a modest home near Chase Farm, reportedly won $40,000 in a lottery and used his winnings to build the grand, Federal style-Hearthside Manor in 1810 in Lincoln. But when the Providence socialite who Smith was reportedly in love with said she did not want to live out there “in the wilderness,” he decided never to live in the home. He never married, and the home was regularly called “heartbreak house” or “the house that love built,” according to those who work to preserve its history. For nearly 200 years, the home was a private residence before it became a public building and museum. It’s known to have paranormal activity.

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The grave of Mercy Brown and the vampire panic of Rhode Island

The New England Vampire Panic took place in the 19th century, in reaction to the outbreak of the consumption epidemic, which is better known as tuberculosis today. Tuberculosis is an infectious bacterial disease that affects the lungs and causes people to cough blood, suffer from night sweats and fevers, and lose weight. But the infection, which is easily spread, was thought to be caused by deceased family members sucking the life out of the household survivors. In some cases, bodies were even exhumed and rituals were conducted on the deceased’s organs.

Take the case of Mercy Brown, for instance, which is one of the most notorious cases of an alleged vampire in New England. Between 1883 and 1892, George T. Brown’s wife, Mary Eliza, and his eldest daughters, Mary Olive and Mercy Lena, all died of consumption.

At the time, tuberculosis had killed more people in New England than any other disease. Brown’s son Edwin also contracted the illness and his health was fading. Neighbors believed that one of the dead family members had infected Edwin by feeding off of him from the afterlife, and Brown had several bodies of his family members dug back up in March 1892. Mercy Lena, who had died just weeks before and was kept in an above-ground tomb until the ground thawed enough to bury her, had exhibited almost no decomposition and still had blood in her veins. Despite the medical examiner at the time saying there was nothing unnatural about her state of decomposition, Mercy Lena’s heart and liver were removed and burned. A concoction made of water and her ashes was given to Edwin to drink, which was a common ritual during the vampire panic. Edwin Brown died two months after.

Mercy Brown’s grave, which is now anchored to the ground after being stolen previously, is located in Baptist Church cemetery in Exeter. A police detail is often stationed outside the cemetery around Halloween.

The Ram Tail Factory, which the 1885 Rhode Island census designated a haunted place

Along the Ponagansett River in Foster, R.I., William Potter purchased land and a few mills in 1790 and decided about 23 years later to expand operations, enlisting help from his son and other family members. Peleg Walker, the most important character in this story, was one of them. His relationship with Potter’s family members soured, mostly due to money, and they told him to hand over the keys to the factory’s buildings.

A short time later, Walker went missing and his body was found in the mill. The cause of death was ruled a suicide, but diary entries by women who worked in the mills, uncovered by local researchers, referenced Walker and read: “One cut his throat in the tall hour and it showed blood all down the stairs.” Not long after his death, the factory’s bell would ring at midnight, there were reports of a man who was believed to be Walker walking through the factory with his lantern. One night the entire factory started running at full speed without any workers inside. Workers ended up leaving the village, and the mill eventually went out of business. It was set on fire in the early 1870s.

Walker’s headstone, which one explorer recently tracked down about a mile away, reads, “Life how short, eternity how long.”

The Ladd School, and cleansing society of its “undesirables”

The Ladd School was founded in 1908 in Exeter, in an attempt to cleanse society of those who were described as “feeble-minded.” During that time, that was a medical diagnosis that was open to some interpretation, but generally described as what is called a developmental disability today. Some who were admitted into the institution were people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, but others were mentally ill, physically disabled, elderly, sick, homeless, immigrants, criminals, unwed mothers, and otherwise “considered a detriment to society.”

But from around 1917 until about 1957, the rise of eugenics made it common practice for women to be indefinitely committed to the school because of illegitimate pregnancy, adultery, prostitution, and other sexual-related misdemeanors, according to the school’s historical society. The school was later renamed the Dr. Joseph H. Ladd School, and it was held to higher standards with support of federal funding. Yet, the school’s population began to dwindle and, by 1994, it closed after it was plagued by scandal with allegations of abuse, neglect, and medical malpractice. It stood vacant until 2014, when most of the buildings had begun to crumble. Others have been repurposed. A small memorial park remains.

Seaview Terrace, a historic and supposedly haunted mansion in Newport

In September 2021, Seaview Terrace, a historic mansion along Newport’s Cliff Walk, hit the market for $29.9 million. The property, which is set on nearly 8 acres of land on Ruggles Avenue, has 29 bedrooms, 18 bathrooms, 10 fireplaces, and spirits that allegedly haunt the walls, according to ghost hunter and author Amy Bruni. The home was built by Edson Bradley in 1907. His wife died in 1929 and he died in 1935. The home was left to their daughter, Julia Bradley Shipman, who failed to pay the property taxes and sold it for just $8,000. Over the years, it was later renamed “Carey Mansion.”

Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.