The Day New England Went Completely Dark in the Middle of the Afternoon

In the middle of the American Revolution, in the middle of the day, New England was enveloped in an eerie darkness that became known as “New England’s Dark Day.”

In the days leading up to May 19, 1780, the sky had taken on a reddish hue and the air had grown thick, but nobody expected what would happen on that freaky Friday.

In the morning hours, the skies began to darken; by noon, the sky was completely dark. In fact, it was so dark, people had to light candles to see. Confused animals thought that night had fallen, and curled up and went to sleep.

When Judgment Day Came to New England

Speculation ran rampant as to what was happening, but a good number of New Englanders thought that Judgment Day was upon them. Local clergy such as Rev. Nathaniel Whitaker in Salem, Massachusetts took advantage of this, delivering sermons rebuking their congregation’s sins and claiming the end times had come.

READ MORE: The Ghosts of Pilgrims Lurk on Plymouth's Burial Hill

Notable figures from history such as George Washington and Abigail Adams made reference in their writings to “New England’s Dark Day,” with Washington documenting it in his diary and Adams in a letter to her husband John Adams.

"Bring the Candles": Abraham Davenport’s Defiant Stand

In Connecticut, the local legislature was in session at the time of the creeping darkness, and many in the chamber felt as though God’s wrath was upon them and it was indeed Judgment Day. They pushed to adjourn the meeting and return home to their families.

READ MORE: The Boston Photographer Who Claimed to Capture Lincoln's Ghost on Film

One of the legislators, Abraham Davenport, gave the following response: “I am against adjournment. The day of judgment is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for an adjournment; if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish therefore that candles may be brought,” he said.

Davenport’s stand was later immortalized in the 1866 poem “Abraham Davenport” by John Greenleaf Whittier, and in a 1934 mural painted by Delos Palmer.

The sky remained dark throughout the entirety of the day, until finally around midnight, when the blackness parted and the moonlight shone through. The next day, the sun rose as if the bizarre events of May 19, 1780 never happened.

Solving a Centuries-Old Environmental Mystery

So what was the cause of “New England’s Dark Day?” Although there was early speculation that it could have been the result of a fire, that was not confirmed until an investigation in the 21st century.

READ MORE: The Satanic Imps Are Back in Easton, Massachusetts

An examination into the tree rings in a forest in Ontario, Canada, showed evidence of a great forest fire in 1780 that likely caused the soot and ash to blow down to New England, similar to how recent Canadian wildfires also had an effect on air quality in our region.

At least we haven’t had to light candles in the middle of the day.