The Nun of the Mountains and Other Hidden Hermits of New England

The Nun of the Mountains and Other Hidden Hermits of New England

The birds were her only family. In the decades after the American Revolution, gray and wearing rags, the local hermitess Sarah Bishop only descended from her tiny cave in the mountains to attend church in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The church ladies gave Bishop curt pleasantries, but the hermitess avoided all men who showed any interest. As early as 1781, hermits dotted the landscape of New England—but they were not recluses. These vibrant persona…