The Chapel



When Zachariah Carter died in 1830, the local undertaker
asked Sarah where she wanted to hold the viewing.
Usually families in those days would stage the
somber event on the first floor parlor, so that
friends and relatives could file quickly past and assemble
in the dining area for a meal before the wake.
In this case, however, the condition of poor Zach's body
was such that a well-ventilated room was in order - well
away from the dining room and kitchen.

You see Zachariah Carter, sailor, sea-captain, explorer,
and double-shipwreck survivor, had drowned in the shallows of
the Miskatonic River, trying to retrieve a child's boat that was
entangled in the reeds.

By the time the boy, Morton, had returned with help,
thebody had drifted far off downstream,
and was not recovered for over two weeks.

So being the resourceful woman that she was, the widowed
Sarah kept with tradition and had a proper send-off, though
they held it here, on the second floor (with every window open wide).

Since that evening, this little non-denominational
chapel has been the scene of many a wedding and
wake. During the bad times, family members would gather here
for silent reflection, while during the boom times of the
1920's, extra chairs would be set up and guests would sit
and enjoy the newest moving picture that Terrance Carter had
brought from New York or California.

Incidentally, Morton Carter was given final tribute in
this room as well, before being laid to rest in the Carter Crypt.

Morton's cousin Rose knew the story of the little sailboat
and presented it here at the front of the Chapel as a tribute
to both him and his beloved grandfather Zachariah.

There is a door on the left (to the east)
that leads to the Music Room.