Calendar of Events
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Murder and Mayhem: Tragic Deaths at Congressional Cemetery Tour
Murder and Mayhem: Tragic Deaths at Congressional Cemetery Tour
Many of the interred residents at Congressional Cemetery unfortunately endured traumatic and unfortunate deaths. Murders, suicides, executions, and accidents are just some of the catastrophes which marked the ends of some of those buried at the cemetery. Individuals from David Herold, an infamous Lincoln assassination conspirator, to the Reed family, tragically killed in a steam […]
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Day of Remembrance
Day of Remembrance
Join Congressional Cemetery leadership and volunteers at a Day of Remembrance on November 1st on the cemetery’s grounds. Hundreds of flowers, sponsored by Christ Church + Washington Parish and a generous donor, will be offered to visitors to place on the gravestones of friends, neighbors, and notables from 9 am – 5 pm. This event is free and open to the public. Help us remember the wonderful people who built our community.
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Death Doula Days
Death Doula Days
Our special drop in guest will be Nadine Seiler, the “accidental curator of Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence. As always when we have a special guest for Q&A this is from 10:30am to 11:30am. You are welcome, of course, to arrive or leave any time during Death Doula Day office hours 10am until noon.
Founding the Federal City: Capital Connections Tour
Founding the Federal City: Capital Connections Tour
Established in 1800, Washington DC was the fledgling capital of a fledgling nation. Built to house the seats of federal government, the nation's capital soon became a city in its own right, a place where people lived, worked, and, of course, died. A mix of congressmen, merchants, military officers, diplomats, architects, and enslaved individuals comprised […]
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Mostly Mothers: The Eternal Maternal Guided Tour
Mostly Mothers: The Eternal Maternal Guided Tour
Back by popular demand and typically offered on Mother's Day, this tour focuses exclusively on women for whom motherhood was central to their identities, their lives and sometimes their deaths. Women celebrated on this tour may have been biological mothers, such as Lucy Bell, who devoted her life to fighting for her family’s freedom from […]
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John Philip Sousa Birthday Concert 2023
John Philip Sousa Birthday Concert 2023
Please join Congressional Cemetery and the Marine Band for a celebration of the life and legacy of John Philip Sousa. The Marine Band plays the music the "March King" composed at his graveside every year on his birthday and the public is welcome and encouraged to attend, for free! Congressional Cemetery will start the program […]
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Celebrating the Legacy of HCC
Celebrating the Legacy of HCC
Join Historic Congressional Cemetery for a fun evening with drinks, bites, and community to celebrate and support HCC, our mission, and legacy. This community fundraising event will feature the leaders of the cemetery and board, select volunteers, and local partners. Please help us toast to a successful year of programming and to the future of […]
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Death Doula Days
Death Doula Days
Our special drop in guest will be Leigh Pickering, who is responsible for the living parts of our favorite cemetery grounds: the gardens, the grass, the trees, and of course the bugs and bioorganisms that populate and pollinate the grounds and beyond. As always when we have a special guest for Q&A this is from 10:30am to 11:30am. You are welcome, of course, to arrive or leave any time during Death Doula Day office hours 10am until noon.
American Military History: Guided Docent Tour
American Military History: Guided Docent Tour
Prior to the creation of Arlington National Cemetery, Congressional Cemetery was the preeminent national cemetery. And many veterans of America's earliest wars chose Congressional Cemetery as their final resting place. This tradition continued throughout United States history and now thousands of veteran graves dot the landscape of our historic grounds. Join one of our expert […]
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Sunday Stroll Guided Tour
Sunday Stroll Guided Tour
Join us for a guided tour of Congressional Cemetery! Over 65,000 people are interred at Congressional Cemetery, ranging from 1807 all the way until the present day. Their story is our story and many of them lived noteworthy and extraordinary lives. Come and learn from one of our expert docents who will share the stories […]
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Tombs & Tomes Book Club November (In Person)
Tombs & Tomes Book Club November (In Person)
Tombs and Tomes is Congressional Cemetery's book club. We meet every other month in our historic Chapel (unless otherwise noted), and we discuss primarily non-fiction books. Our book selections have no rhyme and reason; however, our choices tend to stray towards the macabre, as is natural for a cemetery book club. Our very first meeting was in September 2013 and we chose to read Stiff, by Mary Roach (pictured here with Doug Graves, Congressional Cemetery's mascot and NOT a real skeleton!).
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Tombs & Tomes Book Club November (Virtual)
Tombs & Tomes Book Club November (Virtual)
Tombs and Tomes is Congressional Cemetery's book club. We meet every other month in our historic Chapel (unless otherwise noted), and we discuss primarily non-fiction books. Our book selections have no rhyme and reason; however, our choices tend to stray towards the macabre, as is natural for a cemetery book club. Our very first meeting was in September 2013 and we chose to read Stiff, by Mary Roach (pictured here with Doug Graves, Congressional Cemetery's mascot and NOT a real skeleton!).
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Last Ecstatic Days documentary screening and Panel Discussion
Last Ecstatic Days documentary screening and Panel Discussion
Join us at the historic Congressional Cemetery grounds near Capitol Hill for a unique film experience. Last Ecstatic Days is an intimate portal into a community of strangers who gathered to offer a dying man his final wish to be fearlessly, fully seen. Get to know Ethan Sisser and the people who stepped forward to […]
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Death Doula Days
Death Doula Days
Our special drop in guest will be A.J. Orlikoff, Congressional Cemetery’s own Director of Public Engagement, for a Q&A on military death. As always when we have a special guest for Q&A this is from 10:30am to 11:30am. You are welcome, of course, to arrive or leave any time during Death Doula Day office hours 10am until noon.
Cemetery Speaker Series: Infectious Disease in World History
Cemetery Speaker Series: Infectious Disease in World History
As long as human beings have existed, so too have infectious diseases. These invisible foes of humanity have proliferated and thrived across history, claiming the lives of untold billions across human history. The Covid-19 Pandemic illustrated to people living today the all too real prevalence of infectious diseases on human societies, but this relevance is […]
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American Indian History Guided Tour
American Indian History Guided Tour
Since 1807, the various burials, internments, inurnments, and memorials at Congressional Cemetery have reflected the history of Washington DC and the United States. They provide a unique window into American history, showcasing the American experience in microcosm. And it would be impossible to write the narrative of American history without the story of the American […]
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Only at Congressional Guided Tour
Only at Congressional Guided Tour
Join us for a guided tour of Congressional Cemetery! Over 65,000 people are interred at Congressional Cemetery, ranging from 1807 all the way until the present day. Their story is our story and many of them lived noteworthy and extraordinary lives. Come and learn from one of our expert docents who will share the stories […]
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Sunday Stroll Guided Tour
Sunday Stroll Guided Tour
Join us for a guided tour of Congressional Cemetery! Over 65,000 people are interred at Congressional Cemetery, ranging from 1807 all the way until the present day. Their story is our story and many of them lived noteworthy and extraordinary lives. Come and learn from one of our expert docents who will share the stories […]
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Death Doula Days
Death Doula Days
This Saturday’s topic is “What is Loving End of Life Preparation?”
Our special drop in guests will be Catherine, Death Project Manager; Gabby Jimenez, The Hospice Heart ; and Lisa Pahl of TheDeathDeck. As always when we have special guests for Q&A this is from 10:30am to 11:30am. You are welcome, of course, to arrive or leave any time during Death Doula Day office hours 10am until noon.
