Saved by the Bell: How Americans Avoided Being Buried Alive

Monday, October 19, 2026
5:30 – 6:30 pm
Laurel Public Library
Sussex County
Program: Saved by the Bell: How Americans Avoided Being Buried Alive

The line dividing life from death was not clearly defined in the 1800’s. In the rush to bury a corpse quickly, before contagious disease could spread, people who were comatose, catatonic, sedated, or just plain drunk were sometimes mistaken for dead. Factual and fictional accounts of unfortunate souls awakening in their coffin, combined with medical disagreements about how to test definitively for absence of life, created widespread panic and led to imaginative inventions for preventing premature burial. Learn about this historic phenomenon and how Americans tried to avoid being buried alive—including being “saved by the bell.”

This event is sponsored by Delaware Humanities. If you have any questions please contact the hosting location.

Laurel Public Library
101 East 4th Street
Mary Wooten Carpenter Room
Laurel DE 19956
302-875-3184