Connecticut was one of first places settled by European colonists in the United States, and like most of New England, it’s a pretty strange place overall. Connecticut is filled with oddities like allegedly cursed ghost towns, bridges guarded by giant frogs, and hiking spots rumored to be the home of the devil. Still, one of the strangest places in Connecticut is actually one of its holiest.

Center Church in located in New Haven on the green and welcomes people for worship every Sunday. This historic church also has a real secret hiding beneath it.

I mean, c'mon, look at this church. It's beautiful!
chairduck/TripAdvisor
The inside is equally lovely, and it makes sense why so many people call Center Church their place of worship.
748Rita/TripAdvisor
But there is something else inside Center Church: a crypt. And we're not talking any old crypt.
Brian M/TripAdvisor
Center Church was built on a graveyard... and instead of removing or destroying any of the graves they simply built a crypt around it and the church over that crypt.
heidi244/TripAdvisor

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It makes for an unusual-looking setup, to say the least. It's a totally indoor centuries-old graveyard.
Center Church On The Green
The gravestones are OLD. They date between 1687 to 1812. In addition, there are thought to be up to 1,000 other bodies in the crypt that don't have graves.
748Rita/TripAdvisor
It's a little creepy, sure, but also kind of neat that all these gravestones have stayed undisturbed.
748Rita/TripAdvisor
A lot of famous people are buried here, too, like Benedict Arnold's wife, President Rutherford Hayes' family.
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Best of all, church volunteers regularly run tours, so you can explore this unusual and bizarre crypt and learn more about Connecticut's history.
Center Church On The Green

Just make sure to be respectful while visiting. After all, it’s still a church and the resting ground for the dead.

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