Seventh Day Baptist Cemetery facts for kids
The Seventh Day Baptist Cemetery is a special burial ground in Burlington, Connecticut. It's located on Upson Road and has been there since the late 1700s. This cemetery was used by members of the Seventh Day Baptist Church. Many people in the area call it Green Lady Cemetery because of a ghost story connected to the place.
Contents
History of the Cemetery
The Seventh Day Baptists were a religious group that started in Rhode Island. Many of them were related to the people who came with Roger Williams to Rhode Island. In the late 1700s, about 20 families moved from Rhode Island to what is now Burlington, Connecticut. They started their church on September 18, 1780.
On October 12, 1796, a man named Jared Covey gave some land to the church. He wanted it to be a public burying ground. People had already been buried there since 1780, starting with John Davis. But 1796 was when it officially became the Seventh Day Baptist Cemetery.
Why Did They Leave?
Between 1810 and 1820, some sad accidents happened to the Seventh Day Baptists. One person fell off a ladder and died. Another died when a well collapsed. Someone else was hurt while fixing a lamp, and another was killed by a falling tree.
By 1820, all the Seventh Day Baptists had left Burlington. They moved to Brookfield, New York in Madison County. They never came back to Burlington. The last person buried in the cemetery was Charlotte Spencer on October 14, 1881.
The Legend of the Green Lady
Locals know this cemetery as Green Lady Cemetery. This is because people say they have seen a ghostly figure there. This ghost is often described as being surrounded by a green mist. Many believe this "Green Lady" is the ghost of a Seventh Day Baptist woman named Elisabeth Palmiter.
Elisabeth Palmiter's Story
According to a local story, in April 1800, Elisabeth's husband, Benjamin, went to town for supplies. A big snowstorm suddenly started. Benjamin decided to stay in town until the weather got better. The story says that when he didn't come home, Elisabeth went out to look for him. She got lost in the storm and sadly drowned in a nearby swamp.
What happened next has a few different versions. In one version, Benjamin came home to find Elisabeth gone. He searched for her and found her frozen body in the swamp. She was wearing a pretty green dress. Other versions of the story suggest Benjamin might not have helped her, or even caused her death. Since it's a legend, no one knows for sure what truly happened.
Seeing the Green Lady
Many people walking near the cemetery at night say they have seen a female ghost. She often appears in a green mist. Most people say she just shows up, smiles, and then disappears. Some visitors have also reported seeing mysterious lights. These lights look like a flashlight or lantern carried by someone unseen. Some believe this could be Benjamin Palmiter's ghost, still searching for Elisabeth in the swamp.
People have also reported strange sounds. In 2015, a researcher heard shrieking noises. In 2016, tourists reported hearing a loud humming sound coming from the woods nearby.
The Cemetery Today
Today, you won't find many standing gravestones in the cemetery. This is because of damage from bad weather and also from people who vandalized the site in the 1970s and again in 2010. The only stone that remained standing for a long time was Elisabeth Palmiter's.
However, sometime in July 2010, Elisabeth Palmiter's 200-pound gravestone was stolen. This stone had been put back in the 1970s after the original stones were damaged.
Now, the cemetery is private property. The Burlington police and local people often watch the area at night. They do this to protect the cemetery from more damage. You can still visit the site during the day if you are doing historical research.
