History
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Built by Congress in 1835 at a cost of $5,000, the Public Vault served as a temporary receiving vault for bodies to be interred there or elsewhere at a later date. Members of Congress used it without charge, while private citizens paid $5 per month. Over time, more than 6,000 individuals rested there temporarily, including Presidents John Quincy Adams, William Henry Harrison, and Zachary Taylor, and Vice President John C. Calhoun. After her death in 1849, First Lady Dolley Madison remained in the vault for two years before being moved to the Causten vault across the path for another seven years, until her interment at Montpelier in 1858. The vault fell out of popular use in the 1930s, was restored in 2005, and now serves as a special event space, VIP room, and tour stop.
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Washington, District of Columbia · United States
