At a time when most Bostonians were interred at burying grounds with familiar names like Copp’s Hill and the Granary, usually under slate markers decorated with winged skulls or cherubs, the congregants at Old North and just a handful of other Boston churches preferred to be sealed up inside the basement walls of their beloved churches. In this episode, co-host emerita Nikki is going to be interviewing one of her colleagues at Old North Illuminated, education director Emily Spence. They will be visiting the nearly-300 year old crypt that lies beneath the floorboards of the historic church, and talking about why it exists, who is buried there, and what researchers learned when the tombs were opened for a restoration project three years ago.

Full show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/347/

Support us: http://patreon.com/HUBhistory/

18th Century Burial Practices at Old North Church

Emily Spence is the Director of Education at Old North Illuminated. Emily has led the education department through an evolution that includes new research, on-site interpretive experiences, and digital programming. These efforts earned Old North Illuminated a 2024 Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History and a 2023 Preservation Achievement Award from the Boston Preservation Alliance. Emily first came to Old North as a seasonal educator while teaching history to middle school students at St. Joseph School in Needham, MA. She received the 2018 Massachusetts History Day Teacher of the Year award for her work guiding student research projects for the National History Day competition.

Get your tickets to visit Old North when it opens for tourism on March 1
Take a 3D tour of the crypt at Old North
Jane Lyden Rousseau’s talk about the archaeology done while the crypts were open in 2023
Jake’s talk on the lost tunnels of the North End
JL Bell’s talk on the final fate of Major Pitcairn’s body