Historic Congressional Cemetery dates from the days when Washington, DC, was a burgeoning city on the edge of a malarial swamp. The stones--sandstone tablets with colonial calligraphy, ornate Victorian statues, 20th-century art nouveau carvings, and contemporary markers in shapes as strange as picnic tables and upended cubes--are a time line of the city. The most distinctive stones are 171 cenotaphs; large cubes designed by Capitol architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe from the same sandstone used in the Capitol. They are ...
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Historic Congressional Cemetery dates from the days when Washington, DC, was a burgeoning city on the edge of a malarial swamp. The stones--sandstone tablets with colonial calligraphy, ornate Victorian statues, 20th-century art nouveau carvings, and contemporary markers in shapes as strange as picnic tables and upended cubes--are a time line of the city. The most distinctive stones are 171 cenotaphs; large cubes designed by Capitol architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe from the same sandstone used in the Capitol. They are found nowhere else. The men and women buried under those stones led lives of beauty, courage, struggle, cunning, leadership, and humor--in short, the stories of American history.
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The photographic histories published by the Images of America Series have offered me insight into Washington D.C. places and neighborhoods and into other local histories of the United States. This new book in the series covers one of Washington D.C.'s lesser-known historical sites, the Congressional Cemetery. Located in what is called the "fringe" area of Capitol Hill at 18th and E Street S.E., overlooking the Anacostia River, Congressional Cemetery fell on hard times during the mid-20th Century. The Cemetery was restored and is maintained largely through the efforts of a community organization, the Association for the Preservation of Historic Congressional Cemetery. A large group of Capitol Hill dog owners, known as the K9 Corps of Congressional Cemetery, help maintain the Cemetery through the payment of fees to walk their dogs on the cemetery grounds. The dog owners also help provide built-in round-the-clock security and surveillance.
The book's authors, Rebecca Boggs Roberts and Sandra Schmidt, have long been active in the administration and revitalization of Congressional Cemetery. Roberts is the program director and helps arrange tours on historical themes in the cemetery, including topics such as "Uppity Women" and "Sinners and Scoundrels", themes carried through in this book. Schmidt has researched the history of the cemetery for over 20 years and has collected biographical information for over 20,000 of the 55,000 people interred there. This biographical information as well plays an important role in the book.
Established in 1807, the Cemetery's official name is the Washington Parish Burial Ground, but it quickly acquired the name of Congressional Cemetery. Christ Church, Washington Parish, still owns the site but no longer provides for its maintenance. Roberts and Schmidt cover the history of the Cemetery, together with offering historical and biographical vignettes of the famous and obscure individuals buried at the site.
The most famous feature of the Cemetery is the Cenotaphs, uniform sandstone markers designed by Benjamin Latrobe as memorials for members of Congress. Most of the Cenotaphs are in fact empty as the deceased were buried elsewhere. Among others, former President and Congressman John Quincy Adams has a Cenotaph, as do Henry Clay and John Calhoun, located adjacent to one another. The building of Cenotaphs ended in 1877, when Senator George Frisbie Hoar of Massachusetts observed that the idea of being buried under one "brings a new horror to death".
Roberts and Schmidt show the grave sites and tell the story of some of the people, famous and infamous, buried in Congressional Cemetery. These include the leader of the Marine Band, John Phillip Sousa, FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover, early feminist and lawyer Belva Lockwood (the first woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court), photographer Matthew Brady, and Vice-president Eldrige Gerry, whose tomb states "It is the duty of every citizen,though he may have but one day to live, to devote that day to the good of his country." And then, there is the large grave site of Mary Ann Hall, who became famous for operating the largest brothel in Washington D.C. during the Civil War on a site which is now part of the National Mall.
The history of the United States, as reflected in the War of 1812, the Civil War, Lincoln's assassination, and the Indian wars are reflected in the Cemetery in ways large and small. Among Civil War figures buried at the Cemetery are Alfred Pleasonton, General of the Union Cavalry and Andrew Humphreys, a hero of the Battle of Gettysburg. But the stories of the cemetery also cover many children who died young and librarians, workmen, scholars, teachers, and others who lived quiet lives. The Cemetery remains an active burial ground and Roberts and Schmidt cover the histories and monumentations of some of the more recent arrivals.
This pictorial history by Roberts and Schmidt combines a uniquely local and small story with Washington, D.C. and national history. The book has an intimate feel, as if the authors were leading visitors in a tour of the Congressional Cemetery and pointing out important features. The book reminded me of an area I knew, as I lived near the Cemetery for a time early during my life in Washington, D.C. This is a valuable book for readers interested in exploring Washington, D.C. history and its landmarks.
