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Old Receiving Vault

North of the present tomb at the base of the hill, you can see the old receiving vault where the remains of Lincoln and his son William rested from May 4 to December 21, 1865. This public vault typically held remains while burial plans were made and during winter when frozen ground prevented burials.

On December 21, both coffins were re-interred in a temporary vault halfway up the hill. A week earlier, the remains of Edward Lincoln had been transferred from Springfield's Hutchinson Cemetery to the temporary vault. By 1871, all three Lincolns were buried in the partially completed permanent tomb.

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