The Little Girl Buried In A Barrel Of Rum
This Haunting Story Is Just One Of Many At The Old Burying Ground
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Since Halloween is approaching, I thought it would be a good time to put a spotlight on a cemetery that is full of heart-rending stories of those who died too soon.
The hauntingly beautiful Old Burying Ground in Beaufort, N.C., features Spanish-moss draped trees and sun-speckled burial sites. The cemetery was deeded to the town of Beaufort in 1731.
The stories of those who are buried in this cemetery are fascinating. From a high-ranking officer in the Revolutionary War, to Otway Burns, who was one of North Carolina’s greatest naval heroes during the War of1812, the tombstones tell the tales of lives well lived.
Pictured below is Otway Burns’ tomb, complete with a cannon from his ship, The Snapdragon.
Also pictured is the grave of Vienna Dill (1863-1865). This child died of yellow fever and was buried in a glass-top casket. Legend tells the tale that the grave was dug up by vandals and the body was seen to be in tact. But when they opened the casket, the body disintegrated.
The earliest graves were marked with shell, brick or wooden slabs, because stone markers had to be brought from afar by wooden sailing vessels. Characteristic of this period are vaulted graves like you see above.
Most of the graves in the Old Burying Ground are facing east because those buried wanted to be facing the sun when they rose on “Judgment Morn.”
The Girl In A Barrel of Rum
The cemetery is most famous for the little girl who is buried in a barrel of run. As legend has it, an English family, including an infant daughter, came to Beaufort in the 1700s. When she was older, the girl finally persuaded her mother to allow her to make the voyage to see her native country.
Her father promised his wife he would return the girl safely, but she unfortunately died on the voyage home. Under such circumstances, she would have been buried at sea, but her father could not bear to break his promise, so he purchased a barrel of rum from the captain, placed her body in it and had it buried in Beaufort.
Today, people visit from far and near and place small gifts on the graves.
The little girl who is buried in a barrel of rum is always decorated with toys, shells and beads.
A Sad Love Story
Other gravesites that caught my eye are that of Sarah Gibbs and Jacob Shepard. Sarah was married to Jacob, a seaman, when his ship was lost at sea.
Sarah then married Nathaniel Gibbs and had a child with him. After an absence of several years, the shipwrecked Jacob returned to Beaufort to find his wife married to another man. The two men agreed that Sarah would remain with Gibbs as long as she lived, but would spend eternity at the side of Jacob Shepard.
The Old Burying Ground
This cemetery is so beautiful. I visit every time I go to Atlantic Beach or nearby Emerald Isle.
The locusts in the summer are loud at the Old Burying Ground. That’s what you hear in the video below.