Historic Congressional Cemetery Celebrated its

200th Anniversary

 

            Historic Congressional Cemetery at 1801 E Street, SE celebrated its bicentennial year (1807-2007).  During the bicentennial year of Congressional Cemetery the Cemetery board is celebrating the work of hundreds of volunteers and organizations who have devoted many hours and funds to change the cemetery from one of the eleven most endangered national historic sites in 1997 to a site worthy of its heritage.

            Following the strategic plan developed in 2000 there are now regular grounds and building maintenance with a master plan.  There is a new water line and road improvements will start later in the fall.  The National Park Service is repairing the cenotaphs where Senators and Representatives are buried or memorialized. Over 20 per cent of the brick vaults have been restored, 500 gravestones reset and 300 trees planted.  The cemetery website, www.congressionalcemetery.org, hosts obituaries for nearly 40 per cent of the people buried in the cemetery, extensive articles on the history of DC, photographs of every grave marker, extensive interment records.  Inscription surveys and condition surveys are under way.

            A major development at Congressional Cemetery has been the establishment of the Dozen Decent Docents who conduct general tours of the cemetery every Saturday at 11:00 a.m.  Civil War tours will be conducted by the docents at 1:00 p.m. on the following Sundays; Sept. 16, Oct. 14 and Nov. 11.