Did Mary Baker Eddy write it? Authenticating “The Frozen River”

A legend titled The Frozen River begins with this sentence: “Once the river flowed free and easy over its rocky bed, but one night the temperature of the water dropped a dozen degrees or so, and continued dropping all the next day and night, and formed a thin coat under which the river flowed.”

Over the years a claim has circulated that The Frozen River was read many times in Mary Baker Eddy’s home, at her request. On a number of occasions, people have contacted the Library to ask about the purported connection between Eddy and this work. Does it in fact contain a message that she especially chose to highlight?

Based on several thorough searches, we have concluded that there is no link between The Frozen River and Eddy. In addition, we don’t find any connection with any member of her household. As far as we can tell, Eddy never read this essay, nor was it ever read to her.