Westminster Church and Burying Ground
Baltimore, Maryland
One of America's most haunted cities happens to be in the
midst of
a
bustling modern city. Westminster Presbyterian Church and
Burying
Ground is
located at the corner of Fayette and Greene Streets in
Baltimore,
Maryland.
In 1786 a committee from the First Presbyterian Church
Congregation
purchased a peach orchard from John Eager Howard, a wealthy
local
citizen.
It was more than a mile from the center of the city of
Baltimore.
Soon the
affluent were having elaborate tombs built for their departed
relatives.
As
prominent veterans of America's wars started to die off it
also
became a
fashionable place to be buried. Edgar Allan Poe, his wife, and
his
grandfather were buried there, as well as twenty-four generals
and
eight
congressmen. Also interred there are hundreds of men who had
served
in the
Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
During the first half of the nineteenth century the city of
Baltimore
spread
further out until Westminster's bucolic surroundings were
converted
into
cobblestones and row houses. In 1850 city officials declared
that
all burial
grounds that did not have a church attached to them had to be
moved
to
outside the city. The Presbyterians wanted no part of this.
Instead,
they
used existing pathways as an area for the walls. Arches were
built
so that
the bereaved could have easy access to the graves underneath
the
church.
It was about this time that local residents became
concerned about
the
deterioration of the cemetery. Vagrants took shelter under the
arches,
which
led to the arches being cemented closed. During the Civil War
the
Union army
took over the grounds. They stored their weapons in the tombs
and
vaults.
Another problem during the mid-nineteenth century was that
the cemetery
was
located close to Davidge Hall. This was where the local
medical
students
learned their trade by dissecting corpses. Once, two medical
students
were
caught covertly removing bodies to take back to Davidge Hall.
As
they were
caught, the commotion raised a crowd. The mob hanged one of
the
students
from a nearby street light.
As the twentieth century dawned things declined further.
The cemetery
was
often robbed by vandals looking for jewelry. After World War I
the
neighborhood began changing and Presbyterians worshipped
elsewhere.
Local
kids began using the cemetery as a playground. One minister
reported
seeing
children running around with skulls on the ends of broomsticks.
The spirits may be wandering because so many of the bodies
have been
moved.
There is doubt that Edgar Allen Poe is actually in his grave.
A
"lost" plot
of Revolutionary War soldiers was discovered to have been
moved
to a vault
under one of the walkways.
People visiting the grounds have heard mysterious footsteps
and seen
hazy
figures and mists. The most frequently seen spirit is Lucia
Watson
Taylor.
When she died in 1816 she was sixteen years old. She has been
seen
kneeling
in prayer by her own grave, all dressed in white. Three
different
caretakers
quit their jobs after seeing her ghost.
Many psychics and ghost hunters have visited or spent the
night in
the
church. They all confirm that calm, peaceful spirits inhabit
the
burying
ground.
EVP, or Electronic Voice Phenomenon, is often researched at
Westminster
Burying Ground. During this process an investigator will bring
a
new,
unwrapped tape to the site, then simply record as they walk
around.
Spirit
voices are usually not audible until they are played back, and
even
then
they must be listened to carefully. Researcher Sara Estep
often
records at
Westminster. Among others, she has recorded a woman's voice
saying
"We are
down beside you." and a man saying "I will be there. I will be
there."
In 1981 the Westminster Preservation Trust took over the
property
and
restored it as much as possible. It is now open to the public
and
anyone can
visit.
by catmz@theshadowlands.net
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