Hurricane Sandy knocked down a historic tree called the “Lincoln Oak” on Monday. That tree on the Upper Green (commons) was planted in 1909 in honor of President Lincoln’s 100th birthday. As the hurricane blew through the northeast on Monday, the tree was uprooted.
Later a lady passing by the destroyed tree noticed the back of a skull within the roots. An investigation turned more bones with the skull. A local historian was to solve the mystery. The Upper Green was used up to 1821 as a burial place. After that the tombstones were moved to another cemetery but none of the remains have ever been moved. It is estimated that between 5.000 and 10,000 people remain buried under the Upper Green.
Also on the Upper Green is the Center Church which built in 1813. All the remains and gravestones under the church were left in their original positions to be protected by a crypt. Within that chamber there are 137 identified remains and approximately 1,000 that are of unknown persons.
For a well detailed story about the bones being found with many pictures; go to this article from the New Haven Independent.