The majority of urban legends form around a small grain of truth, however misinterpreted or misunderstood. In the case of Rose Marshall, more commonly known as “the Girl in the Green Silk Gown” or “the Phantom Prom Date,” we are well aware of the documented events behind the legend. It began with the death of a teenage girl on Sparrow Hill Road in Buckley Township, Michigan, and has since spread across North America, carried by people who heard and retold her story, changing it in ways both great and small.
Like Rose herself, the story of the Girl in the Green Silk Gown is a hitchhiker, borrowing from those around it. Yet no matter how far the tale travels, this grain of truth remains: Rose Marshall lived. Rose Marshall died. And as of the time of this writing, Rose Marshall does not yet rest in peace.
—Kevin and Evelyn Price, ed.