Reserve a hotel or Inn, or ski lodge
in Vermont at Discount Web Rates

Buried Alive in New Haven, Vermont?

The fear of being buried alive is the fear of being placed in a grave while still alive, most likely the result of being incorrectly pronounced dead. Before the advent of modern medicine the fear was not entirely irrational. Throughout history there have been many cases of people being accidentally buried alive. During the 17th century there were a number of premature burials. Collapse and apparent death were not uncommon during epidemics of plague, cholera, and smallpox. From contemporary medical sources, William Tebb compiled 219 instances of narrow escape from premature burial, 149 cases of actual premature burial, 10 cases in which bodies were accidentally dissected before death, and 2 cases in which embalming was started on the not-yet-dead.

Like something straight from an Edgar Allen Poe collection or a book of ghost stories, the plight of Timothy Clark Smith is unusual to say the least. Let's just say that although Tim has been dead for many years, things are definitely looking up...or at least he is.

In 1893, Tim died in Middlebury, Vermont on Halloween ironically enough. His body was interred at the Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven, VT. in a specially prepared grave. Beneath the odd, grassy mound of earth, Timothy's face was positioned beneath a cement tube that led to the surface. The 6 foot tube ended at a piece of 14x14 inch plate glass allowing Tim to gaze upward in the event that he was buried alive. A bell was placed in his hand just in case he needed to signal that he was still alive. Which brings forth the questions...who could hear a bell under 6 feet of earth anyway? If he were alive, how long would the oxygen last if and when someone came to his rescue?

Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven, Vermont

 

Final resting place of Timothy Clark Smith, whose 1893 crypt
includes a window to help him escape in case he was buried alive.

There have been many urban legends of people being accidentally buried alive. Legends included elements such as someone entering into the state of coma only to wake up years later and die again a horrible death. Another legend tells of coffins opened to find a corpse with a long beard or corpses with the hands raised and palms turned upward. Fear of being buried alive was elaborated to the extent that those who could afford it would make all sorts of arrangements for the construction of a "safety coffin" to ensure this would be avoided (e.g. glass lids for observation, ropes to bells for signaling, and breathing pipes for survival until rescued). An urban legend states that the sayings "Saved by the bell", and "Dead ringer" are both derived from the notion of having a rope attached to a bell outside the coffin, which could alert people that the recently buried person is not yet deceased.

If you want to visit Timothy Clark Smith, take Rte. 7 to New Haven (a small town just a few miles north of Middlebury, Vermont). When you arrive in town, take Town Hill Road for about a mile or two. Look for Evergreen Cemetery on the left. The grave mound is clearly visible from the road and is about midway between the entrance and exits to the cemetery. Be there with bells on!
News 9/21/2007: Video now posted at Youtube.

Can you see Mr. Timothy Clark Smith?
We couldn't, but he might be watching you!
Back to more weird stuff and Vermont hauntings.