In 2016, I worked as a Research Assistant for St. Luke's Historic Church and Museum. Built around 1685, the church has many mysteries! One such enigma is the grave under the Baptismal Font. The grave was exhumed on February 26, 1956, by the director of Historic St. Luke’s Restoration and John D. Hatch. It was speculated then to be the final resting place of Miss Northsworthy, buried in 1666. But many anthropologists then could not tell the difference of male vs. female skeletal remains--so this was likely wishful thinking.
Even more curious, were the mis-match coffin handles to come out of the grave. Elaborate in style, it was unusual for coffin hardware not to match.
Click on the below article to learn more about the mystery grave!
Even more curious, were the mis-match coffin handles to come out of the grave. Elaborate in style, it was unusual for coffin hardware not to match.
Click on the below article to learn more about the mystery grave!
"This mystery piqued interest once again in 2016 when new research conducted on the coffin handles by St. Luke’s Intern, Lauren Harlow, raised a new question: Is there only one person buried beneath that portion of the floor? The two coffin handles, though both Victorian in style, are distinctly different. Harlow contacted Laurie Burgess, Associate Chair for the National Museum of Natural History, hoping to find out more about the coffin handles as pieces like this are part of Burgess’s expertise. Burgess observed that she has never seen two different handles on one coffin before. So how many people are buried beneath the baptismal font and who are they? The mystery continues."
-Excerpt from St. Luke's 2020 Spring Newsletter. Click on the link to learn more about the Baptismal Font and other artifacts in their collection!
