Westminster Church and Burying Ground -Baltimore, Maryland: One of America's most haunted cities happens to be in the midst of a bustling modern city. Westminster Presbyterian Church and Burying Ground is located at the corner of Fayette and Greene Streets in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1786 a committee from the First Presbyterian Church Congregation purchased a peach orchard from John Eager Howard, a wealthy local citizen. It was more than a mile from the center of the city of Baltimore. Soon the affluent were having elaborate tombs built for their departed relatives. As prominent veterans of America's wars started to die off it also became a fashionable place to be buried. Edgar Allan Poe, his wife, and his grandfather were buried there, as well as twenty-four generals and eight congressmen. Also interred there are hundreds of men who had served in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
During the first half of the nineteenth century the city of Baltimore spread further out until Westminster's bucolic surroundings were converted into cobblestones and row houses. In 1850 city officials declared that all burial grounds that did not have a church attached to them had to be moved to outside the city. The Presbyterians wanted no part of this. Instead, they used existing pathways as an area for the walls. Arches were built so that the bereaved could have easy access to the graves underneath the church.
It was about this time that local residents became concerned about the deterioration of the cemetery. Vagrants took shelter under the arches, which led to the arches being cemented closed. During the Civil War the Union army took over the grounds. They stored their weapons in the tombs and vaults.
Another problem during the mid-nineteenth century was that the cemetery was located close to Davidge Hall. This was where the local medical students learned their trade by dissecting corpses. Once, two medical students were caught covertly removing bodies to take back to Davidge Hall. As they were caught, the commotion raised a crowd. The mob hanged one of the students from a nearby street light.
As the twentieth century dawned things declined further. The cemetery was often robbed by vandals looking for jewelry. After World War I the neighborhood began changing and Presbyterians worshipped elsewhere. Local kids began using the cemetery as a playground. One minister reported seeing children running around with skulls on the ends of broomsticks.
The spirits may be wandering because so many of the bodies have been moved. There is doubt that Edgar Allen Poe is actually in his grave. A "lost" plot of Revolutionary War soldiers was discovered to have been moved to a vault under one of the walkways.
People visiting the grounds have heard mysterious footsteps and seen hazy figures and mists. The most frequently seen spirit is Lucia Watson Taylor. When she died in 1816 she was sixteen years old. She has been seen kneeling in prayer by her own grave, all dressed in white. Three different caretakers quit their jobs after seeing her ghost.
Many psychics and ghost hunters have visited or spent the night in the church. They all confirm that calm, peaceful spirits inhabit the burying ground.
EVP, or Electronic Voice Phenomenon, is often researched at Westminster Burying Ground. During this process an investigator will bring a new, unwrapped tape to the site, then simply record as they walk around. Spirit voices are usually not audible until they are played back, and even then they must be listened to carefully.
Researcher Sara Estep often records at Westminster. Among others, she has recorded a woman's voice saying "We are down beside you." and a man saying "I will be there. I will be there."
In 1981 the Westminster Preservation Trust took over the property and restored it as much as possible. It is now open to the public and anyone can visit.