In D.C., it’s harder to avoid political history than to stumble across it.
When walking down a street, you never know if the karaoke bar you pass by was actually where the Lincoln assassination was plotted — or, if you’re lucky, you might even see history in the making as a presidential motorcade zooms past. But among the places with the most history in the District are its cemeteries, home to everyone from presidents to the people who plotted presidential assassinations, infamous bureau heads to inspiring activists.
Beyond just learning about history, the cemeteries of D.C. offer visitors a chance to be out amongst orange and red trees in the fall and bright pink cherry blossoms in the spring, throwing passersby into nature in a city where large concrete buildings tend to predominate over luscious green spaces. Below are four notable cemeteries around D.C., and the people and plants one will find buried within.
Congressional Cemetery
On either side of a cobblestone path, with soft pink cherry blossoms fluttering down in the spring, is the Congressional Cemetery. Buried within is a collection of congressional icons from the first 100 years of American history it would take me ten of these blogs to fully list out.
While no presidents are buried at Congressional Cemetery — perhaps an enumeration of separation of powers carried out even after one’s death — John Quincy Adams, Zacahary Taylor and William Henry Harrison all had their bodies temporarily held in the cemetery’s public vault right after their deaths.
Congressional Cemetery is also home to Sergeant Leonard P. Matlovich, a gay rights activist who intentionally outed himself while serving in the Air Force in protest of the military’s ban on LGBT service members.
More infamously, longtime FBI director J. Edgar Hoover is also buried within the cemetery. Hoover, whose term as director spanned six presidential administrations, never lived anywhere but D.C. during his life.
The cemetery also continues a startling amount of connections to the Abraham Lincoln assassination. David Herold, one of the co-conspirators, is buried in Congressional Cemetery under an unmarked grave. Popular myth also spins a tale that another co-conspirator, Lewis Powell, hid in the cemetery’s Public Vault after John Wilkes Booth killed Lincoln.
1801 E Street NW, Washington, D.C. Open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Mount Olivet Cemetery
Mount Olivet Cemetery, tucked right next to the National Arboretum, is perhaps the best cemetery to visit for true architectural enthusiasts. The cemetery has elaborate memorials, with intricately carved spires and statues of angels decorating its 85 acres, and James Hoban, the original architect of the White House, is buried within.
But perhaps the most famous burial within the cemetery is — again — a co-conspirator of the Lincoln assassination, Mary Surratt. There’s actually more co-conspirators to the Lincoln assassination buried within D.C. than there are presidents — a fact renowned musical director Steven Sondheim would doubtless appreciate.
1300 Bladensburg Road NE, Washington, D.C. Open Monday to Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Washington National Cathedral
The only president to actually be buried in the D.C. city limits is Woodrow Wilson, entombed at the National Cathedral. Other notable burials on the grounds of the striking house of worship include Hellen Keller and her tutor Anne Sullivan.
Outside its desperate attempt to bring parity to the ratio between presidents and presidential assassins laid to rest in the nation’s capital, the Cathedral is a breathtaking structure, towering above visitors on the outside and enchanting them within as light shines through the stained glass windows. Plus, when I was younger, the playground in front of the National Cathedral was possibly my favorite place in all of D.C. — they had a truly delightful zip-line — making the whole grounds of the area worth exploring.
3101 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, D.C. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Arlington National Cemetery
The most famous of the region's cemeteries is t
echnically not in the District, but just across the Potomac River in Virginia. Arlington is home to a near endless array of military figures, from household names like General John Pershing to more obscure but no less interesting figures, like Lieutenant General John Schofield, who awarded himself the Medal of Honor.
Since diving head first into the world of politics after serving in the military is a frequent career path, Arlington is also home to two presidents — John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft. In addition to its two victorious presidents, the cemetery is home to the most frequent loser in presidential election history: William Jennings Bryan, the only person to lose presidential elections as a major party nominee three times.
The aesthetics of Arlington are almost as striking as its history. Many of the markers are designed to look exactly the same, and arranged to reflect a military formation, creating a striking image of little white slabs of marble stretching nearly infinitely. Nature also abounds at Arlington, with over 9,000 trees changing colors throughout the seasons, as well as a turkey who sometimes choses to pay tribute to the cemetery’s fallen soldiers in its own way.
For even more knowledge about Arlington, be sure to book our top-rated Arlington National Cemetery walking tour. And watch this space for even more editions in this series on the cemeteries of D.C.
1 Memorial Ave, Arlington, VA. Open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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