11 Most Endangered
Congressional Cemetery
Year Listed: 1997
Location: District of Columbia
Current Status: Saved
Threat: Neglect
The Congressional Cemetery is the final resting-place of over 60,000 persons, from Revolutionary War heroes and Indian tribal chiefs to early leaders of the Gay Rights Movement. Located on a rolling site above the Anacostia River, this cemetery boasts a richly diverse collection of monuments, many of which were designed by well-known artists and stone carvers, including architect Benjamin Latrobe who designed the cenotaphs marking the graves of approximately 80 members of Congress. Among those buried here are Civil War photographer Mathew Brady, composer John Philip Souza and J. Edgar Hoover. Like most early cemeteries however, Congressional was established without a perpetual care plan and as plot-owning families move or die out, the site is suffering from increasing neglect, vandalism and theft.
Update
With tremendous volunteer support, in-kind donations and more than $7 million raised from public and private sources in the last five years, Congressional Cemetery has conducted a historic resource and landscape assessment; developed restoration, maintenance and landscape plans; restored hundreds of stones and recorded thousands; planted hundreds of trees; renovated the gate house and repaired the cemetery wall; and preserved and restored the cemetery's beautiful landscape, a primary attraction for residents, dog-walkers and tourists. With creative new educational and interpretative programs, as well as a new Leadership Council to guide fundraising efforts, the Association for the Preservation of Congressional Cemetery continues to build and expand the site's offerings – including events and projects related to John Philip Sousa, a 9/11 memorial walk, and the temporary installation of the Lummi Nation's 9/11 Pentagon memorial – as it continues to steward this important landmark for future generations.
