A Tomb with a View

"To be buried while alive is, beyond question, the most terrific of these extremes which has ever fallen to the lot of mere mortality."  

~ Edgar Allan Poe, 1850: "The Premature Burial" 

heavymetalartwork.com

Dr. Timothy Clark Smith's unusual grave can be found in New Haven, Vermont, and his grave (and other's like it) is the subject of today's post.  

He was an educated man, who had traveled the world.  He received a Bachelor's degree from Middlebury College, and became a doctor upon graduating from the University of New York in 1855.  He "worked as a teacher, clerk in the US Treasury Department and physician. He was a staff surgeon for the Russian Army from 1856 to 1857. Smith was US Consul in Odessa, Russia from 1861 to 1875, and Galatz, Romania from 1878 to 1883." 

Dr. Smith suffered from Taphophobia, which means he was deeply fearful of being buried alive. More precisely, he feared being buried alive, as the result of obtaining some form of a sleeping sickness which would ultimately be falsely determined that he died.

"The Raising of Lazarus"  Rembrandt

His fear was not entirely irrational, however.  "Vivisepulture" is to be buried while still alive.  During  the 1800's, there was a rash of epidemics like cholera, smallpox and even the plague, and contemporary medicine as we know today, had not yet been perfected.  Now known as the Lazarus Phenomenon, diseases of the heart, though rare, could sometimes fool an attending physician into thinking the heart had stopped, and he may pronounce an individual dead.  Then that individual would naturally revive or return to life.

odd nerdrum, buried alive

The gruesome reality, mostly during the mid 1800's, was that there were over 200 recorded episodes of people "almost" being entombed and almost 150 cases of actual live burials!  And the horror continues with 10 people being dissected before they were actually dead, and 2 incidents where embalming procedures began on the living!

For many during the Nineteenth Century, the fear of premature burial became an obsession, after several people were pronounced dead, and during their wake or funeral, suddenly returned to life from a comatose or unconscious state.  These stories, were highly publicized in newspapers across the country, and the macabre Victorians took the only action they could - allowing bodies to stay lying in wait for days and even weeks on end - to ensure their death.

"The Death of Albine", by John Coliier

Some, with the financial means to prepare for the event of accidental burial, devised elaborate tombs in which a bell was installed over the head of the deceased and a cord which lead from the bell was placed in the body's hand; hence, any movement from within would signal an alarm.  

Source:  eduexplica.com

Other patented inventions included the "safety coffin" which consisted of a "movable periscope-like pipe which provided air and, when rotated or pushed by the person interred, indicated to passersby that someone was buried alive." 
When one considers decomposition and gravity, much like the proverbial tree in the forest, the bell probably did ring, but  would there be no one there to hear it?

Upon installing pipes that were concocted for the purpose of listening for any returning signs of life, the rich may have employed attendants to wait near the tombs, lest a bell would ring or a voice to be heard, so that they could run or call for help. 

Others who were less fortuante, financially, had simpler means of assisting anyone who came back to life by placing shovels and/or crowbars in caskets.  

I shudder to think of how a weakened body, most likely suffering from oxygen deprivation and dehydration, and at the discovery of being trapped in complete darkness - the extreme psychological fear that one would experience, how they  could excavate themselves from under 6 feet of dirt, would indeed be indicative of Lazarus.

Image (cropped) from roadtrippers.com

So, perhaps Timothy Clark Smith's fears were not so irrational, after all.  How else can I describe his own grave planning, than "facing his fear"?  He designed his own "safety grave", by rigging his tomb so that his hand would rest on a bell and from this coffin extends a breathing tube.  Directly over his head he installed a window, so that one may peer down into the grave to look at him and ensure that he was really dead.  

unknown source:  google images

"Because he feared being buried alive, he was interred in a specially designed grave. His face is positioned beneath a cement tube that leads from beneath the ground to the surface, and ends at a 14x14 inch plate glass window. In addition to arranging Smith so he could see the surface if he was alive, he was buried with a bell in his hand so he could signal for help." -Source:  findagrave.com

According to my research the actual burial vault has an arched stairwell, that is covered with stone in the lower part of the mount.  It leads to two rooms.  One room for his beloved wife, and the other containing the remains of Timothy Clark Smith which was constructed with the "viewing window" at the top of the shaft.  

Source:  findagrave.com

Source: sevendaysvt.com

As you can see, today, the window has a greenish, mossy appearance, with a good deal of condensation that has collected over the years.   While the window was in pristine condition, it is said that one could peer down to look upon his skeleton, and lying next to him was a hammer and chisel.  It is also entirely unclear as to whether or not a bell was installed in this grave, and his hand placed upon a rope connected to it.  

Dr. Timothy Clark Smith's grave is located in the Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven, Vermont (near Middlebury).

An example of a "Mortsafe"

To read about how some graves were designed to keep bodies "in" the grave, you can read about the Mortsafe on Vermont DeadLine, here.

Elmwood Cemetery, Barre, Vermont

"In 1808 the Congregational Church building was completed in Gospel Village.  At that time Ezekial Wood, a deacon of the church, donated four acres of his farm for a church-yard burial ground.  In 1854 the plot was expanded in size and appropriately named Elmwood Cemetery because of its stately trees. Again in 1920 there was a need for further expansion to the present size of approximately twenty-one acres.

Elmwood holds much historical interest.  The early residents of Barre are interred here: The first doctor and his son, Robert and Lyman Paddock; the first settlers, John and Rebeckah Goldsbury; the first Congregational minister, Rev. Aaron Palmer; Robert Parker, the first quarrier and a Revolutionary soldier; Joshua Thwing, the owner of the first iron foundry and mill; and many more men and women who contributed to the development and growth of Barre and Central Vermont."

Source: homepages.sover.net/~cemetery/ElmwoodCemetery

These photos were taken last October (2014), I forgot that I had them until I began looking through some old files this evening.  I hope that you enjoy this pictorial post!  

Haunted Myrtles Plantation, Louisiana

Northwest of New Orleans, and just east of the Mississippi River lies a sleepy plantation that is a grand example of antebellum style architecture found in the deep South, known simply as the Myrtles Plantation.  

As you approach the facade of the clapboard mansion in St. Francisville, you cannot help but be impressed to see an intricate grill-work design of grape vine made of cast iron, that has been painted in a soothing pale green color, and outlines this long (120 foot) veranda.  Lovely pink myrtle trees fill the southern air with their sweet scent.  

However impressive this southern beauty may be, it has been long suggested that this mansion was originally built atop of an ancient Tunican Indian burial ground.  The Tunica were Native Americans who lived in the Mississippi Valley.  While researching this article, I learned that the Tunicans used a language now referred to as "isolate" which simply means that the tongue in which they spoke had no relationship to other languages known. Their language was their own: unique and isolated.

Bradford

This southern beauty plantation was originally dubbed "Laurel Grove" and it was built by General David Bradford (somewhere between 1794 to 1796).  Bradford lived by himself there for a few years until he was pardoned by President John Adams because of his activity during the Pennsylvania Whiskey Rebellion.

After things died down a bit, he brought his wife and 5 children from Pennsylvania.  Bradford did not remain long on this earth after this, and died in 1808.  

Woodruff

Almost a decade later, his daughter Sara Mathilda married a law student by the name of Clark Woodruff.  This couple eventually inherited the plantation and produced 3 children by the names of Cornelia Gale, James, and Mary Octavia. 
During the unfortunate era in time, Clark obtained a lovely slave named Chloe.  

Now, Chloe was naturally interested in her surroundings and took to listening to the family's conversations, and reportedly spying through a keyhole.  She was discovered by Clark, who promptly cut off her ear to teach her a lesson about eavesdropping and spying.  It has been documented that after this terrifying incident, Chloe donned a green turban to cover her disfigurement.  

[Other versions of the story declare that Clark forced Chloe into being his mistress against her will, and that he repeatedly forced himself upon her.]

To put it mildly, Chloe was not impressed by this infraction  and devised a twisted plan to earn back the trust of Clark and the family.  Luck was on her side, as the oldest daughter's birthday was just around the corner, and Chloe was responsible for making the birthday cake.  

And so, Chloe set about mixing the cake with the basic ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla bean and just a touch of boiled orleander leaves.  The orleander would add just the right amount of poison to make the family sick and then she would aid in their rescue by returning them all to perfect health.  This would certainly earn back the lost trust of her master!

When the occasion came, the family sat around the table to celebrate the day and to devour the scrumptious cake.  After a few bites, the festivities waned ,as forks were dropped and coughing and choking ensued.  Chloe rushed to their aid by bringing each to their respective beds, but alas! it was too late.  Every one who ate the cake died, including Sara Mathilda who was carrying a baby.  (Mary Octavia survived and lived well into adulthood; and, Cornelia, who did not eat the cake, later died of yellow fever.)

Chloe was very frightened and returned to the homes of her kin and friends, where she confessed that she had poisoned the cake in an effort to make amends.  She was mortified and literally feared for her life.  She returned to the mansion and fell into a deep sleep.  

Her confession did not bode well with the other slaves, for now their own lives may be endangered.  They wanted to keep their homes and their lives so they devised their own plan to show their loyalty to their master. 

In the darkest hour of the night, some of them crept into the room where she slept and silently stole her.  Once they had her outside, she was hung by the neck in a nearby tree, and then her body was brought to the Mississippi River, weighed by rocks, and tossed in.  Her body was never to be seen again.

Today, and is known as one of "America's Most Haunted Homes".

The mansion changed hands, on several occasions through the years and along the way, many strange reports have been told.  

Subsequent owners and their family members suffered hardship and many met their fate by tragedy or disease.

Whether or not the site is build over an old burial ground, has not been fully substantiated, but one must ask - haven't you seen the movie, Poltergeist?  Apparently this is not a smart move!

During the Civil War, the Myrtle Plantation was looted and many personal belongings were annihilated. 

Some say that during this loot, three Union soldiers were killed after they gained entry and were shot to death in the gentlemen's parlor.  Today it is told that bloodstains are left on the floor of that spot, and cannot be washed away: 

"...William Drew Winter was lured out of the house by a rider, who shot him to death on the side porch. It is here where the stories take a turn for the worse. In the legend, Winter was shot and then mortally wounded, staggered back into the house, passed through the gentlemen's parlor and the ladies parlor and onto the staircase that rises from the central hallway. He then managed to climb just high enough to die in his beloved's arms on exactly the 17th step. It has since been claimed that ghostly footsteps have been heard coming into the house, walking to the stairs and then climbing to the 17th step where they, of course, come to an end."  
- prairieghosts.com

Today, some claim steps can be heard on the stairs, during the middle of the night.  People have counted the steps, as they occur and state that the footstep sounds stop on the 17th step.

At the end of the Civil War, one owner went bankrupt (but the family was able to regain their fortune).  This same owner,  William Winter - who was actually a caretaker, not an owner - was shot on the front porch and died.

His wife, Sara, died at the young age of 44.

A child died of typhoid.

Another owner's son went to round up cattle during a storm and drowned upon falling into the Mississippi River.

In one of the upstairs bedrooms, a young lass died of yellow fever. Distraught, her parents called upon a Priestess of VooDoo to work her magic because conventional medicine did not work.  But alas! the little girl died.  The enraged parents hung the witch doctor from the bedroom chandelier.  

An elder son of another owner was stabbed to death in the mansion over a gambling debt.

A tale is told that a caretaker was murdered during a robbery that allegedly occurred in 1927.  One with a sharp eye may witness him at the plantation gate, advising people to leave.

A soldier from the Civil War died at the interior entry (near the front door) after suffering from battle wounds. 

He was known to be a heavy cigar smoker, and he had stayed at the house before before he died. 

Today, the Myrtles Inn is non-smoking but those who have stayed in his room can sometimes smell the smoke of his cigar.

The ghostly mirror of Myrtle's Plantation

One of the most enduring tales is that of a mirror which has actually been in the house since it's construction.  Some say that the mirror has ensnared the souls of some of the former occupants, that died there. 

When ghostly images of hand prints began to appear, the mirror was exhaustively cleaned...but they hand prints returned.  Perhaps it is the glass in the mirror, they thought, and the glass was replaced.  With the original frame intact, a new glass was installed but eerily, the hand prints continued to return.  This was repeated once again (replacing the glass) but the hand prints continue to appear.

"Those who have seen the mirror up close describe it as “unsettling.” A faint residue of “drips” running from top to bottom mar the glass."  -eldoradofurniture.blogspot