They would have seen underground in the Old North Church crypt by using candles, lanterns, and later flashlights during access and maintenance; the crypt itself was never meant to be brightly lit like a modern room. Visitors today see brick tombs, sealed doors, and dim interior passages rather than open burials, because the remains were placed inside tombs and the space sits directly under the sanctuary floor.

What the crypt was like

The Old North Church crypt began opening in 1732 and functioned as a burial space beneath the church, with tombs built into the walls and center of the crypt. Reports on the site describe it as a low-ceilinged, quiet underground chamber where you can walk among the tombs, not a cavern with exposed skeletons.

How people saw inside

In the 1770s, lighting would have been limited to what people carried with them, most likely candles or lanterns, since electric lighting did not exist. Modern reports also note that when tombs were opened in later centuries, archaeologists used harsh glare from flashlights and overhead lamps to look inside.

Why it worked that way

The crypt was designed as a burial place under the church because the congregation did not have an outdoor graveyard at first. So “seeing underground” mostly meant moving through a dark, enclosed burial chamber lit by small portable light sources, then looking into individual tombs when their wooden doors were opened.

If you want, I can also give you a very short version for a social post or a more historical explanation of how burial crypts were lit in colonial Boston.