Historic Congressional Cemetery: A Vision through the Centuries

Over 200 years ago, in a new city, a group of residents looked around and saw that there was a need for a burial ground in the eastern section of the city. So began what we now call Historic Congressional Cemetery (HCC), designated a National Landmark in 2011.  On Monday, December 16, at 7:00 pm at Hill Center, Old Naval Hospital, the president of HCC, Jackie Spainhour, will highlight the stories of the cemetery and some of the more than 65,000 people buried there, including notables in national life and city life. Added to those stories will be the vision of how the nonprofit organization which operates the cemetery has responded to social changes and continues to innovate to serve as a community gathering space for its neighbors and the District at large.

Ms. Spainhour came to her present position from Norfolk, Va., where she served as director of Hunter House Victorian Museum in Norfolk and as a college instructor for courses in history at her alma mater, Old Dominion University.  She also has an M.S. degree in Nonprofit Administration from Louisiana State University and is author of three books, two on local history and one text for museum studies courses. Ms. Spainhour is enthusiastic about her life on the Hill and about her volunteer work for a number of organizations, including with the board of the Victorian Society in America and Humanities DC.

The Monday, December 16, presentation on Historic Congressional Cemetery will be held at Hill Center, Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, beginning at 7:00 pm. (Please note the earlier start time.) Admission is free but a reservation is required due to limited capacity.Seating will begin at 6:30 pm; available seats will be released to others beginning at 6:45 pm. The power point presentation will begin at 7 pm. If you have a reservation and are unable to attend, please notify Hill Center (202-549-4172) so that another person can attend.