This stone receiving tomb, now referred to as the receiving vault, was designed by Howard Daniels, architect of Dale Cemetery, in 1851 and built of “Sing Sing marble,” a coarse dolomitic limestone quarried by inmates at nearby Sing Sing Prison. Located among some of the oldest burial plots, it was built into a hillside with curving wing walls and adorned with urns on either end and atop the gabled roof. It was used to temporarily store bodies during winter months when the ground was too frozen to dig permanent graves or until a permanent burial place was chosen. Coffins were placed on a railed dolly, rolled inside, and set on shelves built into the walls. The plain interior measured 12 x 12 x 10 feet and had a heavy metal lockable entrance door to prevent entry by grave robbers. When the cemetery opened, the rental fee was $2 per week. Although modern mortuary practices have made the structure nearly obsolete since 1960, it was used as recently as 2000.