The Vampire Crypt

The Allegheny Heights Cemetery is one of the oldest and most historical in the state of Pennsylvania. There are missing headstones where bodies lay waiting for someone, anyone to come and visit to mourn them. There is even a mass grave filled with the bodies of a mass execution that took place in the late 1800’s. In addition to the stranger of the graves there are a number of the graves are those of heroes in the War of 1812 and the Civil War.  As with all cemeteries of any age, there are also a number of myths and legends connected to it but this cemetery had more than its share.

In a corner of the property sits a granite crypt. It has no name and no date of death engraved anywhere on its face but there was a one time a plaque above the entrance. You can see the outline and the holes where the bolts once were but the edges are cracked, nearly shattered, as if the plaque was removed with a lot of force. It sits against a small sandstone cliff. As a matter of fact, it looks as if the crypt goes into the cliff face. Mosses and ferns are living in every crack and crevasse and the granite façade has a beautiful blue-black patina that only comes with age. One other thing that adds to the crypt’s mystique is the location. There has never been a ray of sunshine that has ever touched the opening. It is in a darkness that makes anyone who sees it think of the movies you see about Transylvania.

Over the years people have told of strange occurrences and other stories about the crypt. It has been said that there has been as many as twelve bodies buried inside and other stories where the tomb has been sitting empty for all those decades. In that story the owner took a trip to Europe while the crypt was being built. She died in Breslau, Germany in the late 1800’s and her body was buried there. But, the story goes further…it continues that the woman’s valuables are locked behind the iron gates of the crypt. No one has confirmed or denied either of these stories or any of the other hundreds still circulating around.

All of that, as well as stories that told of paranormal activity in the area, has earned that crypt the name “The Vampire Crypt”.

Almost everyone in that small town knew the legends about the tomb. A few bugged the staff at the cemetery for information about who was buried there but the staff was quiet about the true facts of who was entombed there, when they were entombed and even if there was anyone in the crypt. It wasn’t a case of whether or not they knew…they did! It was that they just didn’t want to say anything to either confirm or deny the stories. For more than 100 years there was nothing…nothing until that night is 1978. That night a sixteen year old boy decided to see for himself what the big secret about the Vampire Crypt was all about.

His name was Robert Brisban and he was well known throughout the town. He was seriously the trouble maker in town. He shoplifted, harassed his neighbors and regularly got caught drinking under the railroad bridge outside of town. Now, he wasn’t really a bad kid. Even the judge said that he was just a regular teenager he was unlucky enough to get caught more than other. The thing was….his luck didn’t just affect him. Any kids that were with him got in trouble too but he was popular so when you say that other kids caught with him it pretty much involved every kid in town.

That night he, and few of the other kids, did something that everyone wanted to do…he broke into the Vampire Crypt and found out what was in there.

The night before he went in there was an accident on the corner of Cherry Street and 6^th Avenue…about 50 yards from the crypt. It wasn’t bad, just a fender bender but one of the cars went through the cast iron fence that surrounded. That left a gap in the fence and that was just enough of an invitation for Brisban and his friends to sneak in.

The crypt had cast iron doors. They were heavy…almost too heavy to move but all the security that they had was a $10.00 padlock that was bought at the local hardware store and it was easy enough for a group of boys to cut courtesy of one of their dad’s metal cutters. It took all of five minutes before the lock fell to the ground and the boys forced the doors open and that is when they learned the truth…there was a body locked in the crypt.

The coffin was open. Its ebony cover was lying against the wall. The walls were also lined with remains of flowers that had long ago dried. He was dressed in a formal outfit with gold buttons hold the coat closed. Whoever the man was he was well to do and was popular. Inside the coffin was the body of a man. The body looks as if it was old…really old but it was well preserved. On its finger was a gold ring with a huge blood red garnet stone surrounded by diamonds.

Brisban smiled when he saw that ring. “That’s a fucking big rock,” he said as he reached into the coffin. The thought was going through his head to take the ring as proof that he and the other actually were in the crypt rather than just bragging about. It didn’t take long for him to decide. He reached down and pulled on the ring but it didn’t move…the finger was too large for it to come off easily so he took the metal cutters and cut the finger off. It was easier than he thought. There was a crack as the bone split and the ring was his.

He slipped the ring onto his finger. It was a good fit and felt natural as it slid on. He held his hand up in the air and raised his ring finger. “Look at this,” he was yelling, “I’ve got the vampire’s ring!” He looked around and the other boys were long gone. “Cowards,” he yelled as he exited the crypt and saw the other scampering over the fence.

Brisban walked home, admiring the ring as he walked. He stopped a few places to show off his trophy. Of course no one believed him. Some accused him of breaking into someone’s house and the more he told the story the more he was accused.

He went home. His mom and dad weren’t home. He was sure that, by now, they had heard about him breaking into a house and were not going to be happy so he got ready and rushed into bed to get to sleep. It was quick until he was out and dreaming about the girls he wanted to date and maybe more.

The next morning Brisban’s mom and dad got home. He was right. They had heard about their son’s exploits the night before and they were mad.

“Go wake that son-of-a-bitch up,” is dad yelled. “That boy ain’t going be stealing off of anyone. He’s going to learn that stealing’s wrong.”

Brisban’s mom walked up the steps and down the long hallway to her son’s room. The door was closed and there was music coming from his computer.

“That boy doesn’t know how to turn anything off,” she said. Even though she was angry she still smiled. She heard the song “Highway To Hell” playing. That was one of Brisban’s favorite songs so it was almost a sure thing that it would be playing.

Slowly she opened the door. The room was cold and the air felt heavy. She called out to her son, “Robert, wake up! We need to talk/” There was no response. She called out again and still there was nothing!

“Helen, what’s going on up there,” dad’s voice came from downstairs.

“I’m getting him,” she yelled back. Still there was not a movement from Brisban. His mom closed the door and walked over to the bed. Robert was lying in bed staring at the ceiling. His mom reached over and shook him. His head tilted toward her and it was at that moment she realized that he son, the light of her eyes, was dead.

She screamed a scream that wasn’t like anything she had ever done before. Brisban’s dad came running up the stairs and as he cleared the last step he saw his wife coming out of the room. She was crying and grabbing onto the walls barely able to hold herself up. “He’s dead,” she said between her tears. “Robert is dead.” She stood aside as he rushed past her and saw the body.

911 was called and, once the paramedics showed up they tried to revive the boy to no avail. It was then they noticed that something was wrong. It was not that the young man was dead it was the fact that the ring finger on the boy’s right had was torn off. There was a quick search of the room but the finger was nowhere to be found.

After the cause of death was listed as uncertain Brisban was buried in the Allegheny Heights Cemetery not more than fifty feet from the Vampire Tomb.

No one knows for sure what happened that night or where the finger disappeared to but the story was passed around that the body in the Vampire Crypt was actually a vampire and that, by stealing the ring, he had angered the spirit of the vampire and the death, the missing finger and the missing ring was that spirit coming back to get what was rightfully his.

The Vampire Crypt was sealed with a heavier lock and, since that night, no one has entered although the stories do continue to be told and the temptations are still there but no one is brave, or stupid, enough to go into that building on the side of a cliff where the sun never shines.