Luce was orphaned by her parents, Philip Luce and Anne Manter, in her late twenties and suffered a debilitating disease leaving her nearly homebound at the family farmhouse.[1] She raised bantam hens to survive, often giving them fanciful names such as Ottee Ophete, Pondy Lilly and Letoogie Tickling.[2] She wrote and self-published poetry pamphlets about her chickens and got professional portraits done of them and herself.[3] Tourists would come to her cottage and small store on the property to visit with her and purchase keepsakes to bring home.[2] As she buried her chickens on the property, her collection of chicken gravestones became its own tourist attraction. She was considered "one of the Island's most well-known historical figures."[4]
When Luce died, the chicken gravestones were given to the town library. Luce herself is buried in the West Tisbury cemetery, where her marble gravestone is decorated with chickens.[1]
Legacy
Luce's chicken names live on in the names of chickens at the Los Angeles Zoo.[5] Composer Thomas LaVoy is currently working on a commissioned choral piece based on her writings.[6] Vineyard artist Daniel Waters has created a series of linoleum block prints featuring Luce and her chickens.[7]
