Existing comment:
The Receiving Vault:
The vault, constructed sometime after Oak Ridge Cemetery's dedication in 1860, served as a temporary tomb. It most likely had been used prior to 1865 when the remains of President Abraham Lincoln and his son William were laid to rest here from May 4, 1865 to December 21, 1865.
On December 21, 1865, the bodies of the President and his son William were moved to a temporary vault located half-way up the hillside to your left. A week later, the remains of another son, Edward, had been transferred to the temporary vault. In 1871, the three were interred in the Lincoln Tomb at the top of the hill.
According to cemetery records, the receiving vault was used at least twelve times from 1866 to 1873, when its use was discontinued. Conveyed to the State of Illinois in 1946, the vault is today administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency as part of the Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site. |