The Mystical Ellis Mad Stone

Middle of Everywhere

Early Kentucky settler, Joseph Perkins Ellis, carried a mystical stone which had been passed down in his family for generations. The faith of the Ellis’ in this “Mad Stone,” along with their Baptist convictions, propelled them to make a good life for themselves and their community in the face of a devastating disease like rabies which the stone was believed to heal. This stone continued to be used up into the 20th century and impacted the lives of many. But did it work? And why did people think it did? And what does this family heirloom mean to those who carried it?