Why Fairhaven Kids Were Terrified of the Rogers School Bathroom

“Bloody Mary” has long been an urban legend designed to spook youngsters into thinking there is some sort of sinister ghost in the mirror, but why did it take a particular hold on one Fairhaven elementary school for generations?

In a recent radio discussion about the Rogers School in Fairhaven, a caller who taught third grade there for 34 years brought up something very interesting.

“This is the time of year where all of a sudden kids would be afraid to go down into the bathroom by themselves, and the legend of Bloody Mary used to surface,” she said. “It got so bad that the principal said, ‘You can’t allow the kids to talk about that because it gets them all whooped up.’”

Why Rogers School Students Feared the Basement Bathroom

She said the kids would have to go down to the bathrooms, which were located in the school’s basement, in pairs because they were too afraid to go down there alone.

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The Rogers School was built by Henry Huttleston Rogers, opening in 1885 and remaining in operation until 2013, educating countless children of the neighborhood for more than a century. One has to wonder just how many of those children told the tale of “Bloody Mary,” and why it became such a problem at one particular time of year.

The Bloody Mary Legend Every Kid Heard

Most people know the "Bloody Mary" myth in some form. You probably heard about it at summer camp, at a sleepover, or maybe even at school.

The idea is this: you stare into a mirror, you say “Bloody Mary” three times, and she appears in the mirror. There are different variations – some say you must light a candle, others say you call out her name 13 times instead of three, it has to be done at either midnight or 3 a.m., etc. – but they’re all basically following the same format.

There are also different accounts of what she will do once she shows up in the mirror. Some say she will attack you; others say that she will attack your reflection. In some cases, she shows you a glimpse into who you will marry or how you will die. The story often changes to become more dramatic in its retelling.

Possible Origins of the Bloody Mary Myth

So how did this legend originate? Well, it’s something called divination, which is seeking information through supernatural means. In this particular case, it is what is known as “scrying,” using an object such as a mirror to provide a vision.

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Who is “Bloody Mary?” There doesn’t seem to be a consensus on who inspired the legend. Some say it originates with Queen Mary I of England, who reigned in the 16th century and was nicknamed “Bloody Mary” because she ordered the execution of hundreds of Protestants.

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Another theory says the legend comes from ‘Mary Worth,’ sometimes called ‘Mary Whales,’ a supposed 17th-century American witch burned at the stake for murdering children, who supposedly terrorized anyone who spoke her name.

Former Fairhaven Students Recall Their Fear of Bloody Mary

We took to the WBSM Facebook page to ask if anyone who attended the Rogers School had heard of “Bloody Mary” and the basement bathrooms.

“Yes!” wrote Tori Price. “I was so afraid to go to the bathroom by myself. I think I held my pee most of my years there.”

“Oh my gosh, when we were in school I was petrified to use that bathroom because of Bloody Mary,” replied Jessica Spangler.

“Yes, of course,” Melisa Gagne wrote. “We were all either terrified to go to the bathroom in the basement and look in the mirror, or the complete opposite with kids saying “bloody mirror” repeatedly while looking in the mirror.” She said she would only use the bathroom if someone else went with her.

“Those bathrooms were terrifying, even the hallway or stairs going into them scared me,” wrote Beth Frazier.

READ MORE: Is Millicent Rogers Buried Under the Library That Bears Her Name?

It wasn’t just the girls’ bathroom, either. Dan Theman wrote, “That bathroom was creepy as hell,” and Bruce David also acknowledged hearing the story of “Bloody Mary” and the boys’ room.

Former Fairhaven Animal Control Officer Terry Cripps chimed in, pointing out that he used to fill in at the Rogers School as a custodian. “Let me tell you that after everyone left the building and I had to go down to clean the bathrooms, I was so spooked!”

Did a Fairhaven Storyteller Spark the Rogers School Legend?

Gagne also might have cracked the mystery as to how the children became so spooked by the “Bloody Mary” legend, and why it always seemed to happen around the same time of year.

“Dr. Dills told the best stories at Rogers School, which I am pretty sure included this one,” she wrote.

Perhaps this was the time of year that master storyteller and UMass Dartmouth professor Toby Dills told the students about “Bloody Mary,” thereby freaking them out and keeping them from going to the bathroom alone?

At least it made sure the kids didn’t dawdle in the bathroom and hurried back to class.