These Woods In North Carolina Are Hiding A Morbid Secret

Death, a morbid topic that almost always sends shivers down our spine. We're still learning about what happens to our bodies afterwards. Forensic anthropology is a science that is still advancing day to day, and gruesome places like body farms are helping to further our knowledge on crime and decomposition. Unfamiliar with what a body farm is? If you haven't already started piecing this ghastly puzzle together in your head, let us explain...

Tucked away in a discreet location, Western Carolina University's body farm is one you won't easily stumble upon.

The university doesn't disclose the body farm's exact location, in order to keep trespassers out. Not your average farm, you won't find any sort of crops or friendly farm animals roaming around this territory!

The body farm, tucked into the woods opened back in 2006.

Now throughout the country you can find a handful of body farms, though they're still a rare sight to see. North Carolina's location was only the second of its kind when it originally opened.

Protected with barbed wire and other measures of security, the Forensic Osteology Research Station (FOReST) helps students and researchers understand what happens to bodies after death.

You'll find roughly 10 bodies covering this farm at any given time. The majority of donations are made by families.

Donated bodies are brought to this North Carolina farm and laid out on the ground where their decomposition is studied.

The program is run by Western Carolina University's Forensic Anthropology program, where students study the way bodies decompose. But this location isn't only set up to help students learn more about human remains! The gruesome site is also used for cadaver dog training. It's one of the only forensic programs in America to offer this training.

To take a look at the inside of this small and unusual facility, watch the video below provided by UNC-TV Science on Youtube:

There's certainly no shortage of strange places here! Did you realize there was a body farm in our state? For more unusual locations you can visit, take a look at these 10 Weird Places To Visit In North Carolina... With Creepy Videos Included!