Black Family Vault
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Built in 1844, we believe the vault holds seven members of the Black family, including:
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John Black
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Mary Cobb Black
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John Black Jr.
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Priscilla Porter Black (wife of John Black Jr.)
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John Black III (son of John Black Jr. and Priscilla Porter Black)
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Susan Otis Black (Wife of Alexander Black),
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Caroline Black (15-month old daughter of George Nixon and Mary Peters Black).
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On the top of the pyramidal shaped granite vault, you will see a truncated obelisk with the words John Black etched into it.
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Horsechestnut trees seen in this area were planted around 1873 to line the path to the vault. In the 1930s, more horsechestnut trees were planted on the recommendation of famed landscape architect, Beatrix Farrand, to fill the vacancies in the tree lined path as well as five trees to form a quincunx around the vault itself. A quincunx is a pattern like the 5 on a die.
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