If there is one word that can be used to describe Anne Royall (Range 26, Site 194), it would likely be “eccentric.” As Senate Doorkeeper Isaac Basett put it, Royall was “homely in person, poor in purse, and vulgar in manners.” Royall did not care much about her physical appearance, she was said to [...]
Marion Barry after his 2004 victory in the Democratic primary race for a seat in the D.C. Council. Photo Credit: Carol T. Powers from the New York Times Civil Rights pioneer. “Mayor for life.” These are just two of Marion Barry’s notable achievements. On March 6, 1936, Marion Barry, Jr. (Range 20, [...]
Introduction Our blog posts over the last several weeks have focused on African-Americans interred at Congressional Cemetery. As promised, this week’s blog entry focuses on The Pearl. While relatives of Ann and Lucy Bell are directly involved in the events pertaining to the Pearl, those relatives are not actually buried at Congressional Cemetery. There are, however, [...]
Betsy Jane Fairfax (Range 86, Site 315) Betsy Jane Fairfax was born in Martinsburg, West Virginia. Fairfax was born into slavery and served the Swingle family for 80 years. She traveled with the Reed family, who were related to the Swingle's, to Honolulu to help care for the Reed children. In her old age, she [...]
Several members of the Howard family are buried at Congressional Cemetery, in the area near the small pond known as the “doggy day spa.” All of these graves remain unmarked, but by sharing the information we have about the family, we are hoping to carry on the legacy of this family. The Howard family [...]
Exploring African American history is challenging for historians. This is, in part, because African American history contains many instances of difficult history including slavery, discrimination, prejudice, and segregation. Additionally, there is little surviving written documentation about African Americans, especially in early American history. Most of the written documents that do exist were not written by [...]
Photo taken by Gordon Parks/The Gordon Parks Foundation Alain Locke was born September 13, 1885 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Pliny Ismael Locke and Mary Hawkins Locke. Pliny Locke obtained a law degree from Howard University and worked as a mail clerk in Philadelphia, while Mary Hawkins Locke worked as a teacher. The [...]
On November 11, 1919 “Armistice Day” was first observed to commemorate the first anniversary of the end of the first World War. In 1926, the United States Congress called for annual observance of the end of World War I and by 1938, November 11 became a national holiday. In 1954, “Armistice Day” officially evolved into [...]
In 2009, the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act made September 11 an official, federally recognized holiday. Since then, Americans across the country have been volunteering with various organizations for the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. The purpose of the day is to serve as a way to honor those who passed [...]
In the middle of the cemetery, there is a vault like no other vault in a U.S. cemetery. This vault is called the “Public Vault,” and, unlike receiving vaults at other cemeteries, its construction was fully funded by Congress in the mid 1830s. The Public Vault was intended to be used as a temporary [...]
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