When we hear the words Chase and Vault in a sentence together, we typically think of Chase bank and their vault they hold their money in. But in this instance, I am not referring to a bank I’m referring to a burial plot in the cemetery of the Christ Church Parish Church in Oistins, Christ Church, Barbados.
Have you heard this interesting story? I say story as it’s never been proven that it is a work of the paranormal. Regardless of its accuracy and truth, it’s an interesting story to hear.
The island of Barbados is on the far Eastern side of the Caribbean islands, it is approximately 111 miles to St. Vincent Island, 531 miles to Venezuela, and 1600 miles to Miami, FL. The island has a population of 286,641 as of 2018.
The Chase Vault was constructed in 1792, the vault was purchased in 1808 by Thomas Chase when he had to bury his daughter, Mary Ann Maria Chase, aged 2. Mary Ann was in a lead coffin and interred with another occupant in the vault who rested in a wooden coffin. In 1812, Thomas had to bury his eldest daughter, Dorcas Chase, after she had starved herself to death. The real mystery began a few short months after Dorcas was buried. That was when Thomas himself had passed away. The vault was opened to lay Thomas to rest, and the burial team were horrified by what they saw in the vault. The three caskets were not in their previous positions laying, they were all standing on end at the back of the vault.
The entrance to the vault had been sealed shut, other vaults did not have any disturbances, so a flood or earthquake were dismissed as the culprit. The team quickly placed the coffins back where they were and added Thomas to the group.
Many years after Thomas had passed the vault was opened again to add another coffin and again, the coffins appeared to be tossed around, and were laying all about the vault. Again, the burial team restored order to the deceased and before they sealed the vault, they placed a layer of sand on the floor to detect any footprints if it should happen again. The Governor of Barbados witnessed the vault being closed and added his seal across the slab.
Several years later, with the story being shared with the public, the vault was reopened to examine the deceased. The Governor’s seal remained intact, and as it had the last two times, the coffins were once again disturbed and laying haphazard in the vault. As the families of the deceased did not want their loved ones further disturbed, they were removed from the vault and reburied elsewhere in the cemetery. They were now able to rest in peace.
The vault remains empty to this day, ghost stories are the only thing filling the stone walls now. And that my friends, is the story of the Chase Vault in Barbados. People claim it to be an urban legend, but for those who believe in the paranormal claim it was a poltergeist that haunted the Chase Vault. Unfortunately, we will never know if it was true, or why it happened.
Stay Curious my Friends!
Amateur Connoisseur 