The Legend of Lucy Keyes

How can a four-year-old girl disappear without a trace? Robert Keyes moved his family to Princeton, Massachusetts in 1751, purchasing 200 acres of land on the South-Eastern slope of the Wachusett Mountain. Four years later on April 14th, his daughter Lucy (4) followed her sisters to Wachusett Lake for some sand. This adventure in the woods would be her last. Lucy never returned home.

The townspeople created search parties, drained the lake, but came up empty-handed. Lucy's mother, Martha scoured the woods, calling for her. Night after night, she searched the woods. Her grief overwhelmed her sanity. She died in 1786 never knowing what happened to her daughter.

There are many theories as to what happened to Lucy Keyes. There was a letter found after Martha and Robert Keyes had died. This letter was from the Keyes' neighbor Tilly Littlejohn written on his deathbed. He had a quarrel with the Keyes over property line. and resented the family's happiness. When he spotted Lucy Keyes wandering in the woods all alone, he struck her head with a rock several times. Then, concealed her body in a hollow log and went home. He joined the search party. As the townspeople thoroughly combed the woods, he feared the discovery of her body. Littlejohn retrieved her body and buried it under a fallen tree, placing stones and dead leaves over it. Then built a fire over it to conceal his crime even further. The body was never found even after the discovery of the letter. Whether any of this is true, I don't know.

Littlejohn presented the theory of Lucy being taken by Indians. Claimed he had seen some in the area to shift any suspicions off of himself. Indians took children all the time. White men traveling in Canada came across an Indian tribe who had a white girl with them. The only bit of English she knew was "Chusetts Hill". Wachusett is classified as a mountain but looks more like a hill. It was never confirmed whether the girl was Lucy or not.

Something else to consider. Lucy was four years old at the time of disappearance. A number of things could have happened to a girl that young in the woods alone. She could have been attack by wild animals. Only problem with this theory is there was no trace of her found. If she was killed by animals there would be tracks, blood, pieces of her clothing, or something left behind for someone to find.

It is believed Lucy and her mother Martha haunt on or around Wachusett Mountain. A Lifetime movie was made about this little girl called the Legend of Lucy Keyes.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Its really sad what happened to her. At only 4 too. I can't believe that someone would do that to a 4 year old.
Anonymous said…
why would someone do a poor lillte girl like that..she was only 4 and didnt know anything or no better really..who ever did that to that poor inacent lucky is a sick person...thats really sad of what happend to lucky..that mad me mad n cry when i read that..
Anonymous said…
yes it is sad and i know the pain losing a child and yes we have sick ppl today a well and i also knw about spirits n some land my land has had deaths on it he burnt and he still wanders arund with a few others
Anonymous said…
i saw the movie made about lucy keyes last night (halloween) and i could hardly sleep! creepy stuff
Anonymous said…
Just seen the movie, very sad story and i do believe stuff like this is possible. Lets hope more crimes will reach the daylight like this.
alyssa said…
i have seen this movie severly times and if you have you could have seen that on the front it said based on a true story so i think the true story is the first one with the rock and she had been found eventually or this legend would never have been found and also lets hope nothing happens likes this again because its sad .

- 12 year old posted this :)
Anonymous said…
I just watched the movie and my mom was like ahhhhhhhh it's so sad what happend to her it was gross though
Anonymous said…
It is rather said what happened, I did watch the movie about Lucy Keys; have always been interested in Forensics and it would have been good for family to finally discover what took place with her, how much did the letter describe of the person who claimed he killed her?
Anonymous said…
This is so sad. I just wonder how anyone could deal with killing a 4 year old.
Mojo Mama said…
I truly believe a mother's soul will never rest until she knows what happened to her child ... I know mine wouldn't!
Anonymous said…
I HAVE ALSO LOST A CHILD AND MY SOUL WILL NEVER REST UNTIL IM WITH HIM AGAIN....I BELIEVE THAT MARTHA STILL LOOKS FOR LUCY IN THE AFTERLIFE JUST AS SHE DID SO MANY NIGHTS WHEN SHE WAS ALIVE...I WOULD DO THE SAME...ITS AWFUL TO NOT KNOW THE FATE OF YOUR CHILD
Anonymous said…
I know i could not believe what he did to that 4year old girl
Anonymous said…
I just wacted the movie it was sad. Why did he killed that poor little girl:(
Anonymous said…
She was not found
Anonymous said…
I haven't seen the movie but its coming on tonight...although I don't believe n Ghost..I do believe ppl r sick & twisted though and its tragic 2 think ppl would harm children...
Anonymous said…
I hope tilly goes to hell one doing the killing then lead ppl on as of he is a good person by helping look for the body of the 4 year old that he killed
Anonymous said…
He killed her because he was insane
Anonymous said…
is this the movie when lucey the one that was alive went out to find her body?
Anonymous said…
Poor little girl and mother, may they rest in peace.
Anthony said…
Im watchin the movie know but just reading wat happened or supposely happened too her on the internet is soo sad. I dont have any kids but if i did it would make dis a whole lot worse but my prayers do go out to any one in the keyes family. I mean really she was only four yrs old. God bless us all and keep ur hands over us....Amen!!
Anonymous said…
Just to point it out, I live in mountain country where cougars have taken children in the past. A 4 year old would be pretty big, but when a cougar takes a child you don't find hardly a trace, other than possibly a scrap of clothing if you're lucky. There have been many children (usually 3 and under) who disappear in this way. So don't think finding nothing would be that strange.
Anonymous said…
There are no cougars in central massachusetts so you can scratch that theory. Black bears and wolves yes but not cougars. You would still find some traces. They don't eat the clothing. She had to be abducted and either killed or taken away. I would tend to believe the letter were true. What reason would he have to lie on his deathbed? By that point her body may have decomposed and nothing much left to find plus would have been hard to locate the exact spot. Who knows how many uprooted trees may have been in that area.
Anonymous said…
i have seen the movie lucy keyes has me wondering all those yrs ago
Anonymous said…
Tilly in my mind and in my heart redeemed himself by confessing on his death bed in a written letter. May Martha and Lucy rest in peace.
Anonymous said…
whatever happen to the family farm? and is someone in it now?
Unknown said…
I live near Wachusett Mountain today. My husband is related to the Keyes family - I'm not sure exactly how. I'd love to know more about this. Both the theory about the evil neighbor and the Indians taking her make sense. I had several ancestors killed or taken hostage by Indians in MA.
Anonymous said…
The movie was so sad I feel bad for Lucy keys and her family, I mean why would you kill anybody (let alone a 4year old because you didn't get what you wanted.... What a sick man I just wish he would have told the keys what happend ( because if he would of told right away there still could of Been a slight chance she could of lived
Paula m.stack said…
Your right central massachusetts there's no cougars and why like you say would he confess on his death bed.I agree.
Anonymous said…
I live in the town next to princeton scary to hear a story thats close to my town
Anonymous said…
this is to Lucy and Martha Keyes rest in peace Amen R.I.P.
Anonymous said…
i have seen the movie at least
80 times never get sick of it
gk5154 said…
my name is Gary Keyes.
I am a direct decendent of the Robert keyes family.
after seeing the movie..." the legend of lucy keyes"..I must say in all honesty...and I speak for ALL of Robert keyes decendent's....the movie was a total insult to the truth of what happened to lucy.....and after watching this film..3 time's...I have come to the conclusion that the only perpose was to make money off of the family that this tragedy happen to.
and yes....I have heard the voice and seen the vision's of Martha keyes in the wood's of mnt.wachusett.I have also been touched by her hand....I have no doubt of this.
so please in honor of the Robert keyes family....look at this movie for what it truly is......NO MORE THAT FICTION
Anonymous said…
Gary I too am a direct decendent of Lucy Keyes. My name is by coincidence Robert Keyes. I have done extensive research of the Keyes family genealogy the name came to America in 1630 by 2 brothers Robert & Solomon Keyes they are the source of all the name in America so anyone with the name of Keyes and variations of it such as i.e. Keys, Kees, Keies, Keese, etc are related. FYI
Jayed Kees said…
so than id possibly be related, my last name is Kees. going off of a previouse comment.
Jayed Kees said…
along with my last comment, as of right now, I am 16, my sister 14, our mother told us this story during our Childhood, we had forgotten it till today.
my sister had come home from school telling me about a project she has top do for English. a ghost story of sorts. and the Name Lucy Keyes popped into her head, so we brainstormed for a bit at the thought of how the name sounded so familiar, so we asked our mother about it. she told us that yes she had told us the story, but only after my sister had an imaginary friend named Lucy who would have her draw portraits of her in mud on the side of the house. though the name Lucy is a very common name for her, using it as short story characters and such. though we have never lived in Massachusetts. We've lived in West Virginia our whole lives, four generations of the Kees family that I know of have anyways.
Anonymous said…
There were cougars in central Mass. in 1755, and there is a lot of evidence they are still here, or at least wander through the are at times.

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