Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries

Image of Cursed Memorial of Colonel Buck | Jonathan Buck Memorial

Cursed Memorial of Colonel Buck

Stone monument to a town founder with a witch-boot shaped stain and a curse

During the early years of Bucksport, ME, its founder, Colonel Jonathan Buck, had a witch executed. Before she died at the bad end of a hangman’s noose, she cursed Buck to always bear the mark of... »

Unusual Monuments, Memento Mori, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries | Edited by JWOcker

Image of York Witch Grave | Close-up of Mary Nasson's image on her grave

York Witch Grave

The grave of Maine witch Mary Nasson

The Old Burying Yard of York, ME dates back to the 17th century. It’s small, sparsely tombstoned, and surrounded by a low stone wall that sits peacefully in a shady spot among the historic... »

Memento Mori, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries | Edited by JWOcker

Image of Chaukhandi Tombs located in Razzaqabad, Iran | Overview of some of the tombs (Wikimedia Commons)
Razzaqabad, Iran

Chaukhandi Tombs

Reputedly haunted sandstone necropolis with exquisite stone carvings

If you're going to bury someone above ground, the container should probably be both secure and reverent. This knowledge seems to be almost instinctive, as ornate tombs and mausoleums can be found... »

Memento Mori, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries, Incredible Ruins | Edited by Tawsam, Mark_Casey and others

Image of Betty and Barney Hill Graves | Betty Hill's Grave

Betty and Barney Hill Graves

Final resting places of a husband and wife who claimed they were abducted by extraterrestrials and became famous

On the night of September 19 and on into the early morning of September 20 in 1961, husband and wife Barney and Betty Hill were traveling South on Route 3 to their home in Portsmouth, NH, after... »

Memento Mori, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries, Hoaxes and Pseudoscience | Edited by JWOcker

Image of Grave of Timothy Clark Smith | Grave with a window

Grave of Timothy Clark Smith

A tomb with a window to ensure the interred wasn't buried alive

Evergreen Cemetery, just off of Town Hill Road in New Haven, VT, is generally unremarkable as far as cemeteries go, except for one fascinating interment. His name was Timothy Clark Smith, and he... »

Memento Mori, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries | Edited by JWOcker

Image of Grave of Midnight Mary | Grave of Midnight Mary

Grave of Midnight Mary

Final resting place of a New Haven urban legend

In life, she was known by the name Mary E. Hart, but today most people in New Haven, CT, know her as Midnight Mary. The story goes that Mary was accidentally buried alive after a swoon. One of her... »

Memento Mori, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries | Edited by JWOcker

Image of Ocean-Born Mary | The house Louis Roy claimed was the Ocean-Born Mary House

Ocean-Born Mary

Sites connected to a woman born on a ship and spared by a pirate

According to the story, a group of settlers were sailing to the New World from Ireland in 1720. En route, a girl was born to James and Elizabeth Fulton. After the child's birth, the ship was... »

Memento Mori, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries, Eccentric Homes | Edited by JWOcker

Image of Memorial Arch of Tilton | Memorial Arch of Tilton

Memorial Arch of Tilton

The massive Roman arch in New Hampshire that was meant to be a tomb

The 55-foot-tall, 40-foot-wide granite Memorial Arch of Tilton in Northfield was supposed to be a giant tombstone for millionaire Charles Tilton. Instead, it’s just a monument, with Tilton being... »

Unusual Monuments, Memento Mori, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries | Edited by JWOcker

Image of Caroline Cutter Headstone | Close up of some of the crowded and near-illegible accusation

Caroline Cutter Headstone

A New Hampshire Grave with a Grudge

In Milford, NH, is a gravestone that just won’t shut up. It belongs to one Caroline Cutter, who died in the mid-1800s. It’s simple, white, and rectangular, and is crammed with about 150 words of... »

Memento Mori, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries | Edited by JWOcker

Image of Green Mount Cemetery | View of the front gates from inside the cemetery

Green Mount Cemetery

Beautiful hillside Vermont cemetery with amazing funerary art

Green Mount Cemetery in Montpelier, VT, is one of the most picturesque spots in the state. It was started in 1854 and is set right in the midst of the state’s rolling hills. Besides natural... »

Memento Mori, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries | Edited by JWOcker