THE STORY
Reported Haunting
A strange 1771 burial at the Moravian God's Acre in Lititz became one of the town's oldest supernatural legends when gravedigger Claus Collyn reportedly heard three knocks coming from Thomas Utley's coffin after it had been lowered into the earth.
The historic Moravian cemetery known as God's Acre in Lititz is associated with a disturbing burial story dating to 1771. According to preserved local tradition, gravedigger Claus Collyn was burying Thomas Utley when he heard three distinct knocks coming from beneath the earth. Fearing that Utley might have been buried alive, Collyn summoned other members of the congregation and the coffin was raised and opened. Utley was examined and found to be dead. The coffin was lowered again and burial resumed, only for the mysterious knocking to reportedly occur a second time. The men ultimately concluded that the sounds were probably caused by the green wood of the coffin creaking under the pressure of heavy, wet soil. Nevertheless, the incident entered Lititz folklore, with some later accounts suggesting that Utley's spirit remained near grave number 24. Nearby stands the Leichen Kappelchen, or Corpse House, constructed in 1786 as a temporary resting place for the dead when burial had to be delayed. Fear of premature burial remained very real during the period, giving the knocking-coffin story an especially unsettling place in the history and folklore of God's Acre.