Cemeteries of DC

This tour explores the cemeteries and burial grounds around the District.

Rock Creek Cemetery, the first cemetery in what would become the District of Columbia, was founded in 1719 and originally served as the burial ground of a small Anglican chapel. Still active today, Rock Creek Cemetery is now open to all religions.

Another burial ground founded prior to the official establishment of the District is the Montgomery Street Methodist Church cemetery. Though founded in 1772, burials did not begin at this cemetery until 1808. What made this cemetery unique for its time is that it allowed burials of both Black and white members of the church; however, these burials were still segregated by race. Later, the grounds of the cemetery split off from the church, as they were leased to a Black congregation: Mount Zion Methodist Episcopal. A portion of the grounds was then sold to the Female Union Band Society for the burial of their free Black members. The cemetery can still be found in Georgetown, though no new burials have been interred since 1950.

A cemetery unique to DC, as the nation's capital, is Congressional Cemetery. This cemetery, established in 1807 on Capitol Hill, served as the first national burial ground for elected officials. Today, the cemetery is open to all deceased, not only those who were once elected officials. Notable figures buried at the cemetery include former DC Mayor Marion Barry and former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. Additionally, Congressional Cemetery is one of the only cemeteries in the world to contain an LGBTQ+ section, known as “Gay Corner.” LGBTQ+ activists such as Leonard Matlovich, Frank Kameny, and Barbara Gittings are buried in this section.

In several of the District’s earliest cemeteries, maintenance was irregular and many lacked sufficient supervision. The continued growth and development of the city raised additional concerns related to density, contagion, and overcrowding of urban cemeteries. Because of these issues, legislation was passed in 1852 banning new burial grounds within the boundaries of the federal city. Soon, new cemeteries were founded outside of the city, in what was then Washington County, with many graves within the city boundaries being exhumed and moved.

During this time, the Rural Cemetery Movement was gaining traction. This movement, which influenced the development of public parks, altered the approach to the construction of cemeteries and advocated for them to be considered places of peace and tranquility. The cemeteries outside of the city’s boundaries emphasized space, maintenance, and sanitary measures as a way to reinvent what was considered a typical burial ground during the time. Oak Hill Cemetery, established in 1849 in Georgetown, adheres to rural cemetery principles.

It is also important to note that there were many cemeteries that once flourished, but are no longer active. One of these cemeteries was the Columbian Harmony Cemetery, which was located at 9th Street and Rhode Island Avenue NE. Between 1880 and 1920, Columbian Harmony was the most active Black cemetery in the city.

In 1959, the land was sold to developers, and the 37,000 burials were moved to a site in Prince George’s County, Maryland. However, the removal process was anything but orderly, as some headstones and bodies were dumped on the banks of the Potomac River as a way to prevent erosion. Additionally, many of the graves and bodies moved to the new cemetery in Landover, Maryland, remain unidentified, lost, and mislabeled. Today, the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station sits on the former cemetery site, and a small plaque within the station marks the location of the one-time cemetery.

This tour can be completed by walking, public transport, and/or car. Since the cemeteries are spread out, it is advised that you map out your route to determine distance before beginning.