On the island of Barbados, there is the Church of Christ, which has its own quiet parish cemetery. However, not all the inhabitants of the island can find peace there.
Chase Crypt is one of the main and frightening secrets of Barbados. The majestic tomb, decorated with carved stones and coral, has concrete walls more than 60 cm thick, and a massive marble slab closes the entrance.
The crypt was built in 1724 for James Elliot, who, however, was never able to use it. The first burial was dated July 13, 1807 - then the body of Thomasina Goddard was placed here.
A year later, the crypt, which was already over 80 years old, was bought by a wealthy family named Chase. The head of the family, Colonel Thomas Chase, decided that Mrs. Goddard's small wooden coffin could remain in its place and did not insist on its reburial. But this burial did not remain alone for long.
In February 1808, Thomas Chase's two-year-old youngest daughter, Mary Ann, died. The crypt was opened and the coffin with the girl's body was placed there. The doors were then closed again with a large marble slab and poured over with cement.
On July 6, 1812, Chase's second daughter, Dorcas, died. Strange rumors circulated around this death. People said that Thomas Chase, known for his cruel and domineering nature, abused the girl and she decided to commit suicide by starving herself.
The girl was buried in a lead coffin, but this was not the last death in the Chase family. Within a couple of weeks, the tomb had to be unsealed again - Colonel Thomas Chase committed suicide.
His heavy lead coffin was carried to the cemetery by 8 people. When the door to the tomb was opened, everyone present was shocked. It turned out that the coffins of Dorcas and Mary Ann were out of place. They both stood vertically leaning against the wall, and Dorcas's coffin was also turned upside down.
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Despite the fact that there were no signs of penetration into the crypt, the authorities preferred to attribute this strange phenomenon to the actions of vandals.
All coffins were placed in the same order, a new coffin for Thomas Chase was installed and the door was closed and sealed again.
But that was just the beginning
During subsequent burials of three of Chase's relatives, the mourners observed the same picture: all the coffins were not in their places, and some were partially destroyed, as if someone had thrown them forcefully on the floor.
All this was accompanied by stories of local residents about eerie sounds and screams coming from the crypt. The horses that heard this went crazy and threw themselves into the bay.
Naturally, this mysterious story soon spread across the island. For the last farewell ceremony for Thomasina Clarke in 1819, not only hundreds of the island's residents attended, but also representatives of the authorities, including the abbot of the Church of Christ and the governor Sir Combermer.
And the whole procession again did not remain disappointed - this time an unknown force raged especially strongly - heavy lead coffins, which were dragged by several people, were scattered throughout the room, and the wooden coffin of Thomasina Goddard was split, and her skeleton was visible from it.
In the presence of witnesses, the police carefully examined the crypt premises, but did not find anything suspicious - there were no cracks on the walls, as well as there were no underground passages, and the impact of the forces of nature was extremely unlikely.
Then white sand was scattered across the floor, on which traces of unknown vandals should have been imprinted, and the entrance was sealed with special care.
For 8 months the crypt remained intact, however, soon rumors reached the governor that strange sounds were coming from there again. In April 1820, he ordered the tomb to be reopened for inspection.
Arriving at the scene, he noted with relief that the door was tightly closed and even the seal from his ring remained intact. But an eerie curiosity made him look inside.
But something went wrong - the front door seemed to be stuck tightly. Calling for help, the governor's men were finally able to open the entrance. And again, those present were shocked - the door was supported from the inside by the coffin of Thomas Chase, as if someone or something was trying to prevent the entrance. The coffins were broken, and skeletal arms protruded from them, which seemed to be reaching somewhere.
At the same time, the white sand remained completely intact.
The governor decided to put an end to these strange phenomena forever. He ordered that all bodies be reburied in separate graves, and the crypt was ordered to be left empty.
Some argue that this case never happened, but all the evidence suggests otherwise. Records show that the Chase family has indeed lived in Barbados since the 1800s, and the most compelling evidence is that this crypt, completely empty, still exists today.