We Toured the Crypt at Boston's Historic Old North Church
By Kim Falchek|Published March 30, 2024
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Kim Falchek
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Kim Falchek has been exploring the towns, trails, and hidden gems of Massachusetts since her college days in Boston. When not writing, Kim enjoys photography, going on road trips, and spending time at the beach. Kim has previously been a contributing writer for LA Family Travel, Global Munchkins, and Latched Mama. She currently lives in Salem, Massachusetts where she and her family embrace all things Halloween!
Boston’s historic Old North Church is a spot that has intrigued me for many years. I’ve always meant to stop in, but I somehow never got around to visiting. As a current resident of Salem, Massachusetts, I have come to love historic and creepy tourist attractions, and a combination of the two is always a hit in my book. When a last-minute trip to Boston presented itself last October, my family and I decided to take the opportunity to finally visit the crypt that lies beneath the Old North Church.
The crypt tours are kept small and tend to sell out quickly, so I was very thankful when I went online and found that there were still a few spots open on the mid-morning tour. We booked our visit and jumped on the train for an adventure in the city!
We arrived early and spent some time wandering through the old streets of the North End. Best known for its authentic Italian restaurants and delicious bakeries, this area is also one of the most historic parts of Boston.
When it was time for our tour to start, we joined our intimate group and followed our tour guide down to the crypt.
Kimberly Falchek/Only In Your State
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I have to admit that the initial experience was indeed creepy. As expected, the crypt had low ceilings and was dimly lit.
I was glad that my kids were of school age because there was no way we could have maneuvered a stroller around these tight quarters! As we wandered through the underground caverns, we could hear occasional creeks and footsteps from the church sanctuary above.
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There are 37 tombs within the crypt and each once held up to 24 coffins. Our knowledgeable tour guide told us about some of the people who were laid to rest within.
He also informed us of another interesting fact: it turns out that many parishioners wished to be buried within the church, but space was at a premium. To house additional bodies, the remains were sometimes emptied and moved to a charnel pit space behind the tombs. The original tombs were then sold to be used by future inhabitants. Between the years of 1732 through 1860, over 1,100 people were buried within the church. Now that practice sounds pretty creepy to me!
Due to health reasons, the city of Boston eventually banned burials within public buildings. However, you can still request to make the Old North Church your final resting spot. The church’s Columbarium is filled with cremated remains of people from all parts of the world.
This beautiful underground room marked the end of our tour. It looked like such a peaceful place.
We exited the crypt, but there was much more to see! Our tour also included admission to the church sanctuary. This place was absolutely beautiful and full of fascinating history. I couldn’t believe that I had never visited before.
Kimberly Falchek/Only In Your State
The Old North Church is the oldest in the city and was the initial stop on Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride.
My husband and teen daughter took a self-guided sanctuary tour while my son and I embarked on Prince’s Pew Pursuit, a family scavenger hunt with clues that led us to answer questions about several notable sites within the church. The hunt was named after “Prince,” a friendly black cat who was a frequent parishioner at the church.
Although we did not get 100% of the questions correct, we still received a cool Prince sticker for answering the questions.
We wrapped up our visit and headed to nearby Faneuil Hall to meet our friends for lunch.
Kimberly Falchek/Only In Your State
The photo that I took of the kids holding Paul Revere’s lanterns was the perfect end to our historic visit.
Have you taken a crypt tour of the Old North Church? Did anything creepy happen on your visit? Crypt visits are offered as guided or self-guided tours depending on the time of the year. For more information, please visit the Old North Church & Historic Site website and the Old North Church & Historic Site Facebook page.
