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Dust to Dust: A Guide to Green Burials at Congressional Cemetery Part Two

Over the course of the next few weeks, Congressional Cemetery will be sharing information about green burials and the funeral industry’s role in the sustainability movement. The second section, Part Two, focuses on embalming and preserving a corpse. Preserving a Corpse/Embalming Embalming is used as a way for a corpse to be prepared by chemicals [...]

By |2019-07-26T13:03:21-04:00October 12th, 2017|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Dust to Dust: A Guide to Green Burials at Congressional Cemetery Part Two

Dust to Dust: A Guide to Green Burials at Congressional Cemetery Part One

Over the course of the next few weeks, Congressional Cemetery will be sharing information about green burials and the funeral industry's role in the sustainability movement. The first section, Part One, serves as an introduction to the topic. Each year in the United States, 22,500 traditional cemeteries put the following into the ground: 827,060 gallons [...]

By |2019-07-26T13:02:28-04:00October 5th, 2017|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Dust to Dust: A Guide to Green Burials at Congressional Cemetery Part One

Adopt-a-Plot Program at Congressional Cemetery

The Adopt-a-Plot Program plays a key role in the preservation and beautification of Congressional Cemetery. Our program provides individuals, groups, organizations, and companies with the opportunity to play an important and active role in preserving, enhancing, and maintaining Congressional Cemetery’s landscape and grounds. The objective of our Adopt-a-Plot program to get members of the local [...]

By |2022-03-04T09:47:22-05:00September 21st, 2017|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Adopt-a-Plot Program at Congressional Cemetery

Adventurer, Veteran, Secret Service Chief, Interrogator, and More

As I flipped through file folder upon file folder of mere death certificates and lengthy, obscure family histories, my eyes were immediately drawn in by an obituary sub-headline in one file: “LIFE A CONTINUOUS MELODRAMA.” The man behind the melodrama? Colonel William P. Wood, the rather multifaceted first chief of the Secret Service. While Wood [...]

By |2019-07-26T12:41:15-04:00August 24th, 2017|Uncategorized|2 Comments

Introducing…The Summer Interns!

In keeping with Cemetery intern tradition, I figured that I should go ahead and formally introduce myself and our other summer intern to the fabulous readers of this blog! My name is Katelyn Belz, and I am this summer’s Programming, Writing, and Research intern here at Historic Congressional Cemetery. I’m a rising senior and unabashed [...]

By |2019-07-26T12:19:03-04:00June 15th, 2017|Uncategorized|1 Comment

Congressional Cemetery’s Giant

Image from 1908 Washington Post article   At Congressional Cemetery, we have a giant in our midst. Varying accounts place resident John Turner at different heights: a Washington Post article claims that he was 7 foot 7 inches, while a contemporary surgeon inflated his height considerably to 8 feet 3 inches. Other studies [...]

By |2019-07-26T12:08:47-04:00October 20th, 2016|Uncategorized|1 Comment

We’re Dead Serious: Save These Dates.

The past few days in DC have been uncharacteristically cool for August, which naturally turns thoughts to fall and all the good things that come along with the season. Per usual, local stores have jumped the gun, proudly displaying Halloween decorations and pumpkin-everything in an effort to trick us all into believing the season is officially [...]

By |2019-07-26T12:06:05-04:00August 24th, 2016|Uncategorized|2 Comments

An Interview with Historic Congressional Cemetery’s Intern Darren Messing

By Hannah Miller Hello, friends of Historic Congressional Cemetery! It’s me again, Hannah.  I hope everyone has been enjoying their week and has had the opportunity to make it out to HCC at some point this summer! Being an intern has given me several amazing opportunities to spend time at the cemetery--attending the Twilight Tours, [...]

By |2019-07-26T11:59:34-04:00August 18th, 2016|Uncategorized|Comments Off on An Interview with Historic Congressional Cemetery’s Intern Darren Messing

White Vault Restoration

By Margaret Puglisi In 2003, when the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) assessed all of the structures at Congressional Cemetery, the White Vault was in dire condition.  Structural elements were severely deteriorated or missing altogether.  Brick was spalling, sandstone delaminating, ironwork corroding, and mortar had essentially disappeared from the majority of the structure.  All of [...]

By |2019-07-26T11:56:47-04:00August 10th, 2016|Uncategorized|Comments Off on White Vault Restoration
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