In colonial MD it was illegal to be atheist or a witch. In some parts of the colony they were considered equally as heinous. In 1697, a woman by the name of Moll Dyer lived in what would become Leonardtown, MD. There seems to be two versions of this woman. 1) She was a healer and unfortunately for Moll, influenza swept the small community and learning nothing from Salem the people accused Moll of witchcraft. 2) She was a poor lonely woman who was a bit of a beggar. When she wasn’t satisfied with the amount of food and supplies given to her she cursed the local crops. From further research it would seem as though the healer story is more accurate. Moll Dyer was born in England and lived in the West Indies as an indentured servant. With that as her background, historians have good reason to believe she would have had some knowledge of medicine. But there is very little about her, in fact Moll might not even be her real name. Either way, an angry mob burned down her cabin in February of 1698, but she escaped into the woods, only to be found days later frozen to death. It is claimed by the boy who found her that her one hand was iced upon a rock and the other was reaching upwards toward the sky. This rock is somewhat of a legend all its own now. It is claimed that in her final breaths, Moll cursed the land and left her mark upon the rock. Anyone who touches it is victim to fall ill or faint. The legend is so ingrained into the town’s history that in 2021, Mayor Dan Burris claimed February 26th to be Moll Dyer Day. The rock, which was at the Old Jail Museum, is not located at the St. Mary’s County Historical Society AKA Tudor’s Place. Her biggest claim to fame is that she was the inspiration for The Blair Witch Project. It was one of the first “found footage” films that made its way into the mainstream and is still one of the most successful independent films of all time.