Tales from the Crypts

One of the plusses in being married to a professor is the research.  It helps to be his research assistant.  It also helps that he’s a literature professor, specializing in 18^th Century British Periodicals.  Why, you ask?  Because in order to research these periodicals one must see the periodicals, first hand, warranting research trips to some of the most interesting cities and beautiful libraries in the world.

Back in 2004 we spent autumn in New England, specifically at Yale University working in the Beinecke Library.  Being on the campus of Yale was a particular joy for me because my dad was a Yale man.  It gave me such a thrill to walk in his footsteps, sit on the steps of the Sterling Library where he saw Glenn Miller play, wander the courtyard of Calhoun College, where he’d lived, and walk across New Haven Green.

I always do a lot of research prior to these trips and managed to find something in New Haven that my dad knew nothing about.  In fact, most people I talked to who had a working knowledge of Yale didn’t know that beneath Center Church  (one of three on New Haven Green) are crypts with the identified remains of 137 people. Among them city founder Theophilus Eaton; Benedict Arnold's first wife, Margaret Arnold; James Pierpont, one of the founders of Yale College; and the grandparents of U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes.

The Crypts, located on the Green in New Haven at 311 Temple Street, are open for viewing, free of charge, from April 1through Halloween.

I thought this a suitable post to share for “Dia de los Muertos,” and am linking up with The Tablescaper’s weekly travel link, “Oh, the PLACES I’ve been!”

 Happy Dia de los Muertos everyone.  Remember, with fondness, the people you’ve lost who’ve had a special place in your life.  I’ll be thinking of my mother today, as I do every day.