My grandfather bought many many plots in a cemetery so that none of us would ever have to worry about it, he bought them in the late 1960s, well, one of his sons died as a baby in 1966,then his wife, my grandmother died in 1973, from 1966 to 1973, the grass didn't grow back on the babies grave until my grandmother was buried there 7 yrs later, and until this day, the grass never grows back until the next person is buried. My cousin died in 2016, the next person to pass was my mom this year, now my cousins grave is starting to grow back now that my moms been buried and her grass will not grow until the next person gets buried there...no one can figure this out...
Theres a story that goes in Ireland that the last person to be buried in a cemetery has to stand at the gate until the next person comes to be buried then they take over People call it drawing the water I never found out what that means
The cage was called a "mortcage" and were used heavily during the Victorian age (apparently it started in Scotland ) to prevent loved ones from being stolen by grave-robbers also known as Resurection Men. The bodies were taken to medical schools for students to dissect .
It’s to prevent grave robbers from stealing the bodies. It’s been written that this is the only one in the states, but there is another in Illinois. Typically, these would be removed after about six weeks, as the body was no longer useful after that amount of time.
@Bluemoon- damn I clicked the video and then seen ur comment then it ruined the video & I think ur right though it was 4 looks but I still thought his name of the video was intriguing & we onlylike15 secs in. But ur comment made me laugh though.
the cage was bc people used to steal the fresh dead bodies to sell them to medical students back in the 1800's families would watch the graves till the bodies would discompose so they would not be remove
Your theory is definitely a good one! I don't know why everyone is disappointed about it considering it's public knowledge vampires dont exist You guys do not pass the vibe check
That reminds me of a friend of mine. When she was younger she went for a wonder in a local cemetery while waiting for the train (cemetery was right next to the train station) Anyway she found a grave with her exact first, middle & last name on it (her parents spelt her middle name a weird way with a few extra letters to make it unique) the girl died on the exact same day & year my friend was born. It freaked my friend out enough for her to run out of the cemetery & to this day, almost 30 years later, she still refuses to set foot in the place 😄
Another practice back then was to lay the body in the coffin and wait for them to wake up, lots of people had lead poisoning and appeared to be dead ,and sometimes they would wakeup. Hence the reasons for the practice of Wakes. Also persons were buried with a string tied to a finger that was attached to a small bell above ground. People would take shifts waiting for the bell to ring. Hence the term for the midnight shift was called the Graveyard shift/.
Okay, I googled it. When all else fails...google it! It was to protect the grave from body snatchers and they sold the bodies to medical schools. They would hire people, family members or friends would sit by the grave and keep watch until the body had time to decompose enough that the body couldn't be used. The cages were usually very heavy made of cast iron though.The bars looked to be maybe and inch thick and square, unlike these cages. The family would also take postmortem photos with the dead person posing with them. Freaky! People used to do really weird stuff. www.thevintagenews.com/2018/09/25/grave-mortsafe/
I used to live in & have visited many older cemeteries in southeastern Iowa & near/in Nauvoo, Illinois ; formerly "Old Order Mormon" communities. Within those cemeteries, you will see "family" plots with a husband & his one LEGAL wife &&& multiple CONSORTS buried side-by-side. "Read" that as you wish.
Check out the web sites on funny tomb stones, 1 only says " it sucks to be me" ..... they had 1 that said " granny' s potato soup recipe. " then it had the recipe engraved on the tomb stone.
And if it says 'relict' that means she died after her husband. 'Consort' was occasionally used for husbands as well but I think 'relict' was only used for wives. Not sure about that, though.
It’s to prevent grave robbers from stealing the bodies. It’s been written that this is the only one in the states, but there is another in Illinois. Typically, these would be removed after about six weeks, as the body was no longer useful after that amount of time.
Just a side note: the wrought iron cage would keep a vampire enclosed, vampires are repulsed and contained by iron. In some traditions an iron stake was driven into the grave to ‘nail the alleged vampire down’ .
Also back in that day vampires and witch's were a big thing people were accused of and yea I was about to say rot iron was used in lots of cultures to maintain evil
@@indodinoyoutube lol yes, but different parts of the world have different stories. For me it was always a “wooden” stake as well, but for them it appears to be iron & lead. 🤷♀️
"Consort" simply means the spouse, as in Prince Albert was the consort of Queen Victoria. Consort was commonly used in an era when monarchies existed, and is perhaps archaic in our modern world. As for the "cages," I believe they were put there simply to protect the graves from being trampled by cattle, and in later times, mowers.
I watched a documentary once that explained the whole caged in phenomenon. Your body moves and contorts when you die.. Gases and body rot change the body which led people to believe in vampire's, etc. In addition animals would bust into coffins and eat bodies, and of course grave robbers were an issue. I love your videos. I find them calming and informative. Thank you!
i live not far from there, born in 1954, back around 1970 there were quite a few more of those cages, never counted them. the story we were told back then was that the people believed the cages would keep the deceased bodies soul from leaving for heaven if they were considered sinners at that time
Wow thats amazing and got chills. As been doing research on that I observe. When someone mentioned machine. I thought yes but not in that matter. As research tesla now. Why? Intuition channeling as a sensitive based on the Natives who once were here. Their landmarks and then see tesla and his tech. I thought machine as Faraday cage. Energy protection one way or another. To enter or leave etc..block. w.e.!!! So Id side more with you in some type relating more to your theory told. And usually I've learned more seemingly hidden info of my own area in Sullivan Co NY and what those who are indeed born in 50s know that never was told. As seems we have a cave system from here to someone's land in PA. Off acliff is the end. Supposedly! Sure other directions if even able to go. But nope. This land was not for you and me. As song sang in school seems to not apply now. Caged off and no ways to find out see and explore as those once did. Thanks for your info and input!!
Hi Dennis. That is Real Interesting. I never knew that. But, if the Cages were there to keep the Deceased bodies' Soul from Leaving for heaven, if they were Sinners, what happened, to the Person's body, if they WERE A Sinner, back then?? That is quite an Interesting Find!!😉😉😊😊
Sitting on my front porch swing, listening to the rain and thunder, and a Cliff video....perfect! Glad to see they take meticulous care of that unique cemetery. Thanks😊
I believe what we're looking at is a trellis for roses to grow on. It's in that shape so as various kinds and colors of roses grow together they will entwine around each other and make that shape of a house, across and over the grave site in a beautiful shape of a house of roses. There would be different colors different sizes, all entwined together. Especially this tradition would have come most likely from England because they have a large amount of tourist attraction rose gardens and value roses highly to this day. Even the Queen had her own rose garden. There's also an old ballad of the 17th century that was hugely popular one time in the British isles. It's titled Barbara Allen. And as you go through the lyrics you'll see, a rose growing around the burial site of a man named sweet William. I know this tune from 60 years ago, my youth, and I thought of it while you were wondering what the "cage" is for. It's not a cage, but a beautifully made rose garden trellis. And if I had to bet, I'd bet I'm right. 🥀🌹👌👍☺️
Well it looks like they were sprayed with grass and weed killer. Since you can't get inside to cut the grass it would be necessary for the caretaker to spray what's inside to keep it from becoming overgrown.
@@samuelbonacorsi2048 Yup. That’s most likely what that is. Too bad too- they’re poisoning the groundwater, and if that house uses well water…. Not a good move.
It’s to prevent grave robbers from stealing the bodies. It’s been written that this is the only one in the states, but there is another in Illinois. Typically, these would be removed after about six weeks, as the body was no longer useful after that amount of time.
@Martha Fogelin I'm a Pennsylvania Dutch, if I'm going anywhere it's only farther north. Not south into the heat, it's b1tch hot here in the summer as it is, as the presenter of the video remarked. To the presenter of the video, Wandering Woodsman - glad you're doing this, your second video I have seen, and I'm glad you're telling some stories about my country, PA. Far from perfect in every way, but it's our dirt.
Yes I was raised in the lehigh Valley Allentown bethlehem area bethlehem is so good to grow up lots of fairs the musicfest every year or the great Allentown fair 😀 love p.a
C'mon man, that would be the best property in the neighborhood...no borrowing sugar and such, and the neighbors were stone quiet, no loud parties, and the like...
There was a house up the road from us that was next to a small cemetery. You were brave if you went up the rather long driveway to trick or treat at that house. They seemed like nice people though.
In the small town of Centerville, Minnesota, there is a small cemetery. There is one grave surrounded by a wrought iron fence. The headstone says the woman was a witch. It's quite eerie looking.
The vampire theory may not be too far off... I’m in Rhode Island where the people in the 19th century thought there was a vampire epidemic due to consumption. In some places, if there was a suspected vampire the townspeople would put a cage over the suspected vampire grave to keep them in
Interesting I was not aware of that being a thing in the US. I know covering the grave from fear of it coming back was a thing that happened over in Europe. That was born out of things like the body twitching after the person had died. Which to be fair would be absolutely terrifying to see if you didn't know about the electrical pulses still going through a nerve system after someone died. You just see a twitch and you know that person died. Kinda funny if you think about it because if there was a thing such as a vampire then it could dig it's way out easy.
I see my buddy Braun in your pic. A friend :) I've known Bill and Braun since their days in Today Is The Day :) nice to see a fellow fan :) what an amazing drummer and even better human! (Inused to manage Nucleae Blast back then and my twin was with Relapse, so we got to see those boys a lot! :)
Both caged graves were women who died due to childbirth. Asenath B. Thomas appears to have died during childbirth; sadly her infant daughter also died a few months after birth. Sarah Ann Boone died 16 days after giving birth, but her daughter survived.
I agree it's unlikely that fear of vampires was the motivation for the cages, but that's because I can also guess where the story came from: there actually *was* a "vampire panic" of sorts in New England during the tuberculosis epidemics of the later 19th century. In particular, there's a notorious incident called the Mercy Brown case from Massachusetts, which is well documented elsewhere on RU-vid. Someone may have heard these stories, which hung on for a long time, and mistakenly guessed that the Pennsylvania caged graves were similarly motivated. Literary note: some of this New England vampire folklore may also have helped inspire Stephen King's tale, "Salem's Lot," since he grew up in Maine.
Hi Cliff, a very interesting video, those cages actually look really pretty and ornate, they were used back in the Victorian era to deter grave robbers. xx
I'm not sure about the decorative purpose. If that was a "thing", then it seems it would be many more around as people tend to make grand shows of devotion, or their money, with expensive grave stones, monuments, etc. I'm more inclined to think it was to keep the grave from being disturbed if there were no links to vampires. Before stealing bodies to sell for research, historically grave robbing has been a problem as people tended to be buried with jewelry. They didn't play around going after the goodies either. One tale has a rich woman being put in the family mausoleum. She was buried with expensive jewelry. Later, as the family and acquaintances gathered at the house, they were horrified by screaming and the sight of the woman in her burial garb running toward the house. Turns out she wasn't dead and grave robbers had gotten in to steal. When they attempted to cut off her finger to get at a ring she woke up with a terrifying howl. They ran, she ran and apparently lived for number of years afterward. It was not uncommon to mistake a coma for death. When they move old cemeteries the rotted wooden coffins often break. Sometimes there are deep scratch marks on the inside lid from the person frantically trying to get out.
My grandpa had told me that when he was a youngboy there was a flood and some old Graves that come out the end were broken and there were scratch marks with people trying to get out hence that's why he wanted to be cremated
@@lisasmith7854 I first heard about it when an old cemetery was moved to make way for a road not far from where I lived. At the time I had a great history teacher who would teach history from a real life point of view with many anecdotal stories and true events not always found in the class books, including his days growing up poor in coal miner country. He told us about the local cemetery removal and what was found, then expounded on it. Being a history buff the rest I found out in later studies. You never forget a good teacher.
@@aevalk8369 I hate to talk about it because it's pretty bizarre but I know of at least one instance where a grave was opened and the body was found laying on its stomach rather than on its back meaning that it had rolled over while in the grave. There is also a story of a a grave being opened to show a body that had driven its own fingers into its own skull in an act of insanity or suicide because of being buried alive.
In the context of a tombstone inscription from the 1800s, describing a woman as the "consort" of a specific man indicates that she was his wife. The term "consort" was commonly used in older times to refer to a spouse, particularly a wife. It was a more formal and often poetic way of indicating the marital relationship.
Thanks so much for that Cliff. What a beautiful cemetery. I think maybe cage could be to put off grave robbers. I just love it going around cemeteries. I subscribe to two others who do this all the time. Old cemeteries are just gorgeous. Thank you so much for taking me along. Please stay safe
Hi Linda. I thought I would Share this with you. You Said, that You Like going around old Cemeteries, and love seeing old things, right?? Well, there's this Really Old, but Cool Cemetery, in Virginia City, Nevada, that dates back to 1887. The Prodestans & Catholics were buried there. There are some old wooden-box graves, from 1887, that are graves of children, 1-2 months old, that Probably died from Polio back then. The Prodestans are Buried on the hill, and the Catholics, buried, just down the hill, and scattered all over the Place. The Cemetery is called, "Silver Terrace Cemetery", in Storey County, Virginia City, Nevada. I visited that Cemetery, and it gave me the chills, just being there, it's so Quiet. My Ex-husbands parents, live in Virginia City Nevada, and you can see that Cemetery, from their backyard. You Love old Cemeteries, and love looking at old Graves, You should go to the Website, and see some of the old Headstones, sitting in that Cemetery...."Silver Terrace Cemetery, Virginia City, Nevada". images.app.goo.gl/itecFdqn5rLWF81P9
Yea, another interesting cemetery! I was at Chestnut Level yesterday for a while and showing a friend. I never tire of visiting there. Thanks WW! Always enjoy visits to skull parks! DaveyJO p.s. The cages look modern. Old cages would probably have been cast iron.
Haha I live in the area as well, never knew that was there. Thought the scenery looked familiar but then PA is pretty much farm land in most areas so who knew? Then he said near a town called catawissa, I was like whaaa lol..
@@kdunity5698 I've lived in a few different places and always study a places history...my old man told me that I couldn't truly live in an area unless I KNEW the area...
I grew up not far from there. As a teen in the early 90’s we went there one night and got chased away by whoever was living there. We were terrified. Lol Back then we were told by someone that they were werewolf tombs.
My personal theory would be, to make sure no-one ever stood on the grave of the person buried there, In most Cemeteries you can freely walk over peoples graves, but not on these particular ones 🤔
I know this is an old video, but I'd like to put it out there that cages above graves were not to stop vampires, that's a common misconception. They were, in fact, used as a means to prevent medical students from stealing bodies from the graves, also known as body snatching. Medical schools needed corpses to study, and the 'best' way to get bodies was via body snatching. The cages are a preventative measure against such practices.
Unusual, but not unheard of, to have caged burials tied to Vampires. Suspected Vampires were usually pinned to the earth by driving a stake through the body, and into the ground, thereby “pinning” the corpse to the earth. Another method was to place a brick in the mouth, and/or arranging the leg bones behind the skull, so the corpse could not walk the earth. This practice was the start of the skull and crossbones. Caged graves are most commonly associated with preventing grave robbers from having easy access to fresh burials.
I read the book based on these graves and it was so good! I definetally recommend reading it! It's called The Caged Graves and the book is about Sarah Ann's daughter finding out the truth about the cages over the graves. It was such a great historical fiction book.
AWESOME video!!! Have been told by cemetery people that the main purpose for wrought-iron fences and/or cages around grave sites was to keep the dead in place. Way back in them older days when superstitions were more prevalent, It was said that when the spirits of the dead decide to roam around, if they touched the wrought-iron, it was supposed to remind them of the coldness of being dead and that they are dead. Also, when a funeral took place at a home, it was common practice to meander around when taking the body to the cemetery in order to "confuse" the spirit of the deceased should they decide to come and pay the living a visit. Do not know how true them reasons are, but do make for a good story and insight of our ancestors.
The young women in their twenties most likely died in childbirth, the leading cause of death for young woman up to the 20th century. A person who rang the bell was called "dead ringer."
I wouldn't assume childbirth automatically. Thing about the early 1800s- there was so many things that killed the fairly young. So many viral and bacterial diseases, as well as illness we consider chronic and manageable today (type 1 diabetes, autoimmune gastrointestinal issues, etc.) killed people young.
Well, if it’s Actual iron, iron is believed to keep spirits at bay or keep spirits trapped. So, it could be a way for the family to have tried to keep their spirits on earth
I'm not sure why they would have used mortsafes in this area since they were used to deter resurrectionists, a polite term for grave robbers. They were more common in England and Scotland and usually placed in cemeteries near medical schools. Were there ever any medical schools in this area? They may have been put there as ornaments or perhaps the family was from Britain.
They do look more decorative and they might have been added years afterwards when the family became more affluent - the designs of the 2 surviving cages look so similar so might have been made by the same company? It could be a way of protecting the original grave from being trodden on (I’m thinking of the English expression “someone just stood on my grave” when you have an unexplained shiver) thanks for sharing the video as always, I always enjoy watching, the local myth ones in particular are so interesting!
You are observant! Asenath B. Thomas and Sarah Ann (Thomas) Boone were related: Asenath married Sarah's brother John. Also, both women died in June 1852.
It’s to prevent grave robbers from stealing the bodies. It’s been written that this is the only one in the states, but there is another in Illinois. Typically, these would be removed after about six weeks, as the body was no longer useful after that amount of time.
Hi Alice. I personally Visited an Old Cemetery, in Virginia City, Nevada, called "Silver Terrace Cemetery". That Cemetery is Quite Interesting. Children buried there, that were 1-2 months old, and probably died from Polio back then. But the "Silver Terrace Cemetery" dates back to 1887. It's Cool-Looking, but Creepy. Prodestans & Catholics were buried there. They were buried Separately-- Prodestants buried on the hill, & the Catholics buried below the hill, and Scattered.. The Website tells a lot. But some of the Headstones sitting in that Cemetery, are Already "Caged in", and Surrounded by a Fence!! images.app.goo.gl/itecFdqn5rLWF81P9 I hope You Enjoy this!!😉😉😊😊
Love your stories Cliff. I have never seen a caged grave. I do like the vintage ornate look to them & hope they were decorative & signs of respect for the person passing. I could also believe grave robber, however as you said small town PA. Do you happen to know for this cemetary if the large open spaces would have other buried? That house is very close. Very interesting video, thanks!!
What a treat to find your channel. I love cemeteries and I have deep roots in Pennsylvania specifically Marion Center not far from Indiana PA. Some of my family still lives there in MC and my great grandma was born and raised just outside of town in a place called “the hollow” and when we visited PA in the 80s we went out to explore it. House was crumbled and it’s contents all scattered but it was the first time I really came to know and touch my history. I’m sure by now the Hollow probably has a subdivision built on top of it now. History is amazing and old graveyards tell great stories. Thanks for sharing your adventures. I subscribed and I look forward to watching more today.
I also like old cemeteries I wonder what their lives were like cry for the infants, children. The Inskip-Pioneer cemetery in Butte County, Ca. hasn't any tombstones ocassional stone borders or indentations in the ground. Just inside the fence is a cement/marble marker which reads 'only God knows the names of the people buried here'. It used to have a dirt road leading to it but Diamond Lumber put boulders and gates cutting off access to it. My son and I would go up there every year to pay our respects and I would throw flower seeds in there. My son is gone now, I have only been back once in 8yrs. I miss it.
What I find cool is that when these people were alive, the internet didn't exist, RU-vid didn't exist yet here they are, living on via a video on RU-vid. Imagine in 200 years how much technology will have changed and the things people will be doing that we could never imagine doing in our lifetime. I dunno why I thought of this while watching. LOL But great video! I'm from PA near Pittsburgh.
I am from Central PA near State College. Been doing my own research on weird History of our State, a lot of fascinating stories. Not too many around here, but I have heard of this place and came across your video. Good work, I will check out your other's!
My family lives near these graves so every time we go to visit we can go see them. My dad always used to tell us that the people were werwolves and the cages kept them from escaping (which is why they are a bit beat up) sometimes when we go there are bottles of herbs that my dad also says are protection spells!
I DON'T BELIVE IN VANPIRES, NOR DIGGING UP GRAVES. INSTANT IT THE LAW THEY EVEY GRAVE SHOULD BE BERRIED IN A CEMENT VALT AND THE COFFIN IS IN THE CEMENT VAULT. THAT IS THE LAW IN THE MIDWEST ANYWAY.. BUT WHO KNOWS WHAT WAS DONE BACK IN THE 1800. PEOPLE SHOULD RESPECT GRAVES AND DON'T DESTROY THE MARKERS, JUST SAY SOME PRAYERS AND WALK AWAY. THEY ARE STILL HUMAN BEINGS.
I've actually visited and photographed this cemetery. I love the caged grave. No, it has nothing to to with vampires. It's to prevent graverobbing back then. And those aren't eagles on the cage, they are doves.
Hooded graves, also known as Mortsafes, were common in the mid-19th century in the United Kingdom, but they were very rarely used in the United States. In fact, according to Find a Grave, these may be the only two hooded graves that exist in the United States.
Those cages are definitely not just sitting on the ground. If that were so, the caretakers could just tip it over to care for the grave instead of using weed killer.
I seen a video on somewhere else and it was a famous actor but he was laid to rest and they have a spiritual house.literally it's like that but it's got shingles and stuff on it and as it deteriorates it might be some kind of Indian Indian belief or spiritual belief..
Oh man, I wish I came across this video over the summer. I harvest hosted at the farm right up the street back in August. I definitely would have checked this place out while I was up there.
Hi William. If You Scroll up, to Jamie Lieberg's post, it tells you. But I copied what she wrote, and I will Post it here, For you, too!!😉 ABT Stone outside the Cage is: "Asenath B. Campbell Thomas-- Birth : April 10, 1832 Died: June 26, 1852(Aged 20) Married to John F. Thomas-- 1827-1910 Hope this Helps!!😉😉😉😊
This has nothing to do with "body snatchers" as another poster commented. These cages or cribs were often put around graves back a hundred years or more ago. Often the whole family plot would be fenced in with a fence if an individual grave wasn't. That's because years ago livestock roamed the country freely and in the case of some graveyards, that was an open piece of grass where livestock would often be put to graze. You have to remember there were no lawn mowers in those days. Most of these grave "cages" I have seen and I have seen dozens and dozens, are open at the top and just form a crib around the grave. They could be ordered from mail order houses but before that they were often made by local blacksmiths and if you didn't want a cow reaching in and grazing on top of your grave or destroying your flowers which the family had often planted there, the cages were made with a top to keep the critters from reaching over the fence and eating the daisies. So, that's the actual explanation for these "cages".
Since the bars weren't broken then they couldn't get out. So what did they do? Crawl back into there graves and be all " maybe in a hundred years the bars will be gone. I'll try again then."* hits snooze button for next 100 yrs*
I'm going with animals, it's the same reason they put the flat stone on the ground. People still do the flat stone in private smaller and pet cemetery's that are more remote. They did not always follow the 6 feet rule or have a coffin so the ground will start to sink in and animals will start to dig into them so they would just place a large flat stone over top. It's creepy when ya stop by the ol family cemetery and realize some coyote dug up your uncle.
If the bodies are in a wooden coffin under the ground would wolves be able to get the body ? Or would the body just have been wrapped in cloth ? . Interesting.
What’s the name of the book about graves that someone got you? If you do this often and are having a hard time reading the older headstones you can use shaving cream and a squeegee to highlight the lettering. Then use a window cleaner to remove it afterwards.
It’s to prevent grave robbers from stealing the bodies. It’s been written that this is the only one in the states, but there is another in Illinois. Typically, these would be removed after about six weeks, as the body was no longer useful after that amount of time.
