Congressional Cemetery
DC’s Greatest Undertaking
Leave your legacy here
Congressional Cemetery is a 35-acre historic yet active burial ground located on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Initially known as the Washington Parish Burial Ground, Congressional became the first cemetery of national memory, as Congress bought sites, buried noted civil servants and financed the infrastructure.
Among the nearly 70,000 burials at Congressional are scores of noteworthy citizens who left their mark on the city and the nation. You can leave your own legacy among these intriguing individuals through permanent memorialization. Plots of different price points are available for purchase in all sections of the cemetery, each with unique historical landscapes, features, monuments and historic figures. Preplanning of funeral and burial arrangements is highly encouraged.
Our nonprofit organization is on a mission to preserve, protect, and promote our historic and active burial ground.
With its first burial in 1807, Historic Congressional Cemetery is among the oldest institutions in Washington, DC, and is the final resting place of over 70,000
individuals. Their stories are American history in microcosm, all in 35 acres of the nation’s capital. Still an active burial ground, it is the only place in Washington where individuals can be buried at a site directly on Pierre L’Enfant’s 18th century city plan.
Historic Congressional Cemetery was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2011 and continues to build upon the legacy of over 200 years of American history. The cemetery is administered by the nonprofit Association for the Preservation of Historic Congressional Cemetery and owned by Christ Church + Washington Parish. The association is constantly striving to maintain the historic, cultural, and aesthetic qualities of this natural landscape along the Anacostia River. Hundreds of volunteers each year help preserve the cemetery and further its nonprofit mission.
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