Esther Cox: After the Amherst Horror

The Great Amherst Mystery of 1878-1879 made Esther Cox infamous across North America. But what happened after the poltergeist departed? The aftermath of one of Canada’s most famous supernatural cases reveals how difficult it was to escape a reputation for haunting.

The Immediate Aftermath

When the poltergeist phenomena finally ceased, Esther Cox was not freed from her burden. Walter Hubbell’s book “The Great Amherst Mystery” had made her name synonymous with supernatural disturbance. Wherever she went, she was recognized as “the Amherst girl.”

Esther attempted to return to normal life, but normal life had become impossible. Employers were reluctant to hire someone associated with spontaneous fires and flying objects. Boarding houses turned her away. Even friends and family kept their distance.

The Barn Fire

The most damaging incident came when a barn belonging to a farmer who had employed Esther burned down. Though the fire had natural explanations, Esther was blamed. She was charged with arson and convicted.

The conviction was controversial. Some believed the fire was genuinely Esther’s fault—either deliberately set or caused by her residual poltergeist energy. Others saw her as a convenient scapegoat, blamed for an accidental fire because of her reputation.

She served four months in prison. The experience marked her for life.

Attempts at Recovery

After her release, Esther attempted to rebuild her life far from Amherst. She eventually married and moved away from Nova Scotia. She kept a low profile, revealing her past to few people.

By some accounts, she achieved a measure of normalcy. She raised a family and lived quietly. The phenomena that had plagued her in her teens never returned.

But the past was never entirely escapable. Periodically, someone would recognize her name or make a connection to the famous case. She would have to explain, deny, or simply leave.

The Lasting Shadow

Esther Cox died in 1912, three decades after the events that made her famous. She had spent half her life trying to escape those few months of supernatural terror.

Her case influenced subsequent poltergeist research. Investigators noted the pattern: phenomena centered on an adolescent following trauma, escalating to dangerous levels, then ceasing as the focus matured. Esther’s experience helped establish this as a recognized pattern.

But for Esther herself, the pattern meant years of stigma. She was not celebrated as a remarkable case study. She was shunned as a dangerous person, marked by powers she never asked for and could not control.

Legacy

The Great Amherst Mystery remains one of the best-documented poltergeist cases of the nineteenth century. Hubbell’s book, whatever its exaggerations, preserved details that allow modern researchers to analyze the case.

But Esther Cox’s story also serves as a reminder of the human cost of such phenomena. Whether caused by psychological factors, unknown natural forces, or genuine supernatural agents, poltergeist activity disrupted her life far beyond the phenomena themselves.

She was never able to tell her own story—Hubbell’s account was the one that survived. What Esther thought about her experience, how she understood it, and how she felt about the decades of consequences remain unknown.

She carried the Amherst mystery with her to the grave.