Within our cultural lexicon the term RECEIVE when joined with another has many uses and implications. There are receiving lines, receiving rooms, receiving parlors, receiving barns, receiving blankets, receiving yards, receiving ships, receiving yards, and the like. One term directly associated with cemeteries is that of the Receiving Vault or sometimes referred to as a Receiving Tomb. These structures are usually built into the side of a hill having a stone façade and heavy door to keep it secure and to prevent unauthorized public access because of its utilitarian purpose. However, they can also take the form of free-standing architectural structures as well. How common are these structures, are they used, are their designs standardized, and are they relevant for today’s cemeteries are a few of the questions addressed by this presentation. Supported by illustrative examples the topic of Receiving Vaults will be explored through descriptive denotation, analysis, and discussion of its past, present, and future significance to a cemetery site.
About the presenterJ. Joseph Edgette
This member is deceased. Receiving his Ph.D. in Folklore from the University of Pennsylvania Dr. Edgette was Professor Emeritus and Folklorist Emeritus, Widener University, Chester, PA. and Co-chair of Death in American Culture Area of MAPACA and Chair of the Cemeteries and Gravemarkers Area of the American Culture Association. Former Vice-Chair of the Woodlawn Cemetery Conservancy, Bronx, NY., he most recently served as President of the Riverview Conservancy, Trenton, NJ.