The one time Missouri had a vampire, turns out it was likely just an albino man

PARK HILLS, Mo. – Like any good legend, this story is full of lore, mixed accounts, and a little pinch of faith. Mix it all and you get a town legend. This one happens to be the Vampire of Gibson Cemetery.

To start, no one seems to know what this vampire’s name is, only that he was a Hungarian miner. He is buried in Gibson Cemetery in what is to be believed to have been 1913-1920.

This grave is set far away from his neighbor’s graves and framed with an iron cage to keep the vampire from rising from his grave again.

“People seem to believe his name might have been Orlin and could be the grand or great grandfather of Orlin Eaton married to Emma Wattles,” said Rachel St. Pierre, Director of Community Development for Park Hills. “Possibly the father of three children, that also were supposedly albino, Samuel and Daniel, twins, and a sister.”

St. Pierre said that there are graves of twins in the cemetery. Just like any legend, the story survived by word of mouth. According to legend, the vampire was a man who had known no mercy and was cruel. During the years closer to his death he never left his house, only at night. While the vampire was alive, a large number of children died mysteriously.

People with albinism have skin that is very sensitive to light and sun exposure. Sunburn is one of the most serious complications of albinism because it can increase the chances of developing skin cancer.

Sunscreen wasn’t developed until 1938 by a Swiss chemistry student named Franz Greiter.

If this “vampire” was Orlin who was said to be albino and sunscreen was not developed yet, no wonder he became a miner so he could stay in the dark all the time.

As for the children, a series of plagues swept through Missouri, some being: Spanish Influenza, Typhoid fever, and Tuberculosis.