History & local legend
The Pursell family vault in Wildwood Cemetery near Williamsport was built for an unusual emergency: someone waking after being declared dead. A ventilating chimney supplied air, and the doors could be opened from inside. Period newspaper accounts credited John Melick Pursell and his sons with creating the tomb, rather than attributing the entire design to his son Thomas.
Thomas Tinsman Pursell, a retired fireman, died on June 13, 1937, at eighty-two. When he was placed in the vault two days later, his friend James Miller left a hammer and two boards beside him. Those preparations were intended to give Thomas a chance to escape if the burial proved premature.
The vault stands in eastern Wildwood. The larger cemetery has its own contrasting traditions: fairies are said to appear among the graves east of the road, while a banshee’s wail is associated with the western side.
