Washington, DC is unique in many ways – particularly when you think about the area’s historic cemeteries serving as a final resting place.
Capitol Hill boasts the Historic Congressional Cemetery. Buried here you will find noted diplomats, elected officials, cabinet officials, of the National Underground Railroad Network and more. Initially known as the Washington Parish Burial Ground, this beautiful 35-acre space, where Congress bought sites and buried noted civil servants, is a National Historic Landmark and a living cemetery where burial sites are still available for sale.
Among the nearly 70,000 people buried at Congressional Cemetery are former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, ABC News journalist and daughter of Congressman Hale Boggs, Cokie Roberts, composer John Philip Sousa, former DC Mayor Marion Barry and Apache Chief Taza, to name a few.
Living Friends
While Congressional Cemetery is a place filled with those who have ed on, it has many living stewards who have a ion and vision for the space.
Sharon Metcalf’s interest in Congressional Cemetery was piqued when she heard a piece on NPR that spoke about the green burials one could have there. At the time she was a Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships and Programs at the School of Communications at American University. She also advised AU’s beekeeping society, participated in Campus Beautification Day and was part of efforts to plant pollinator-friendly flowers throughout the university gardens.
With an inventory of over 5,000 trees, American University has attained a Level II accredited Arboretum status with Arbnet, the professional arboretum network. Metcalf has turned her attention to Congressional.
“Blessed are those who plant the trees under whose shade they will never sit.” – Greek proverb.
As someone who already loved being engaged in outdoor activities, Metcalf appreciated the tree canopy at Congressional Cemetery. She became a cemetery volunteer and eventually took on the process to realize official arboretum status for the cemetery.
Says Metcalf, “There are four levels of accreditation and the first or Level 1 accreditation requires 25 distinct species of trees, with a focus on biodiversity and education (labeling and tagging the trees). The National Arboretum is working with Congressional Cemetery to assist with this work, and Casey Trees is providing mapping and taxonomy information for the trees planted over the years.” Casey Tress is a local non-profit decicated to expand the District’s tree canopy.
In bringing together the Congressional Cemetery in partnership with the local Trowel Garden Club, the cemetery is now the recipient of a three-year Partners for Plants grant from the Garden Club of America. With this funding the participants will be able to do the work to achieve Level 1 accreditation for the cemetery from ArbNet by identifying and tagging a diverse collection of old-growth trees, as well as some more recently planted by Casey Trees over the past couple of decades.
Outgoing Congressional president Jackie Spainhour said, “With so much history on our grounds and a beautiful collection of flora and fauna, it only made sense to us that we embark on a project to bring awareness to the trees on our property as an accredited arboretum. We were thrilled when volunteer extraordinaire Sharon Metcalf offered to spearhead the project, and her commitment to see it to fruition has been instrumental since its inception. We are so grateful to Sharon and the plant partnerships and relationships she has stewarded on our behalf.”
Arboretum Launch
Sept. 22, 2024 marked the official launch of the arboretum project and a key feature is the new “Tree Walk Through History,” a quarter-mile path highlighting significant memorial sites and showcasing the tree diversity. The trail brings you through tree tunnels formed by many varieties including American hornbeam, Kwanzan cherry and Chinese elms.
The Arboretum launch included a gathering at the Circle of Life, a contemplative space surrounded by a circular “tree-henge” with eight American linden trees (basswoods) planted in 2020. Each of the young trees are aligned with a navigational point on the central com sundial. As the trees grow and mature, the respective tree shadows across the com will mark the seasons and the sun’s path during equinoxes and solstices will provide a tribute to the life cycles of nature.
Says Metcalf, “The Circle of Life” offers a wonderful vantage point to observe the sun’s celestial path through solstices and equinoxes. If you’re looking out over the southern hemisphere, you have an open view – no buildings, only sky and trees with the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. You can imagine that Native Americans may have encamped there. This space not only celebrates nature’s perseverance but pays tribute to past and future stewards of the natural environment – a truly meditative space, telling the story of nature through sunrise and sunset and a focus on north-south and east-west – a connection to how L’Enfant designed the city.”
Congressional Cemetery hosts several events throughout the year (visit congressionalcemetery.org). Be sure to put Arbor Day weekend on your 2025 calendar, the last weekend in April. There will be a spring tree planting event and on Sunday, April 27, a “Tree Walk Through History” tour as well as a return visit and procession by Batalá (the DC all-female Afro-Brazillian percussion band) leading a parade through the arboretum’s canopy, culminating in the Circle of Life.
Metcalf appreciates the cemetery’s leadership, too. “To have Jackie’s throughout the work on this project has been key over the past few years. She made it possible for something like this to be created.”
Spainhour is enthusiastic about ways to enjoy Congressional Cemetery, “I encourage everyone to come and take a tree walk through history, and experience Congressional Cemetery in a whole new way.”
The Historic Congressional Cemetery is located at 1801 E St., SE. There is no ission or gate fees and is open daily from dawn to dusk (closed to dogs every Saturday from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm). Visit congressionalcemetery.org for a schedule of special events and for volunteer opportunities.
Annette Nielsen, a writer and food systems advisor, returned to Capitol Hill from New York where she served as the executive director of the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center.
