After the John Philip Sousa Birthday celebration, stick around for a meet and greet with Jackie Spainhour, the new President of Historic Congressional Cemetery.

Jaclyn “Jackie” Spainhour is a writer, researcher, nonprofit professional, and special needs mom living in Alexandria, Virginia. She is an alumnus of Old Dominion University and sits on the Board of Directors for the Victorian Society in America. Her first book, Gilded Age Norfolk, Virginia: Tidewater Wealth, Industry, and Propriety was published in 2015 by the History Press. She serves as the Chair of the VSA Book Awards Committee and the Copy Editor for the VSA’s peer-reviewed journal Nineteenth Century. A life-long lover of historic places, she spent over a decade on staff and as the Director of the Hunter House Victorian Museum in Norfolk, Virginia. Her second book, Museums and Millennials: Engaging the Coveted Patron Generation, was published in October 2019 through the American Association of State and Local History. She has given numerous presentations on the local and national level and her third book, A History Lover’s Guide to Norfolk, was published in 2021. In her spare time, she uses her voice as an advocate for the creation of more inclusive world for people living with autism and other disabilities in honor of her son Declan. You can find her digging her nose into the worn-out pages of old books, sipping a latte at a corner café, or brewing a fresh pot of tea to pour into her extensive teacup collection. She never misses a good British drama and is a huge fan of the show Supernatural. She would love to chat with you about your wishes for the cemetery- especially if you would like to become a future resident!