Brick box tombs, or false crypts, like these are incredible examples of early grave markers, likely dating to the pre-Civil War era. Built from plantation-era brick—made on local plantations, often by enslaved individuals—these bricks are crafted from red clay and are far from uniform. Each brick carries the story of its creation, with unique shapes and even imprints like fingerprints or, in one case, a pig’s hoof. Box tombs were a fashionable evolution of rock tombs during the 1800s, though the