Congressional Cemetery — Local services in Washington

Today, I took a tour through one of the forgotten places in DC...the "Congressional Cemetery" in Southeast. From the time you enter the cemetery gates, its as if you are transported back into time. The are headstones dating back as earily as the late 1700’s. There are a number of congress persons buried in the cemetery, and their headstones are unique and very meticulously aligned with their congressional accomplishments. There are a several flag officers and enlisted service members buried in the cemetery that fought in the War of 1812- Vietnam.

Of note, it was an honor to visit the grace of John Philip Souza (The March King). If you have ever waved our Nation's flag to "Stars and Stripes forever"... You have enjoyed Souza's music. Additionally, the cemetery contains Col Wainwright, the Executive Officer to Col Archibald Henderson whom was the Commadant of the Marine Corps at the time. Col Henserson is buried in the cemetery also.

Take a few hours out of your day to visit this historic place and consider the times in which these great people lived and the state of our country during these...

This cemetery is essentially a dog-park that happens to have a lot of graves. I was initially surprised the prevalence of dogs but later learned their dog-walking program subsidizes 25% of their operating budget. An innovative approach to staying financially solvent. Maybe Congressional is on to something. Should we revisit how we utilize sacred spaces in our modern community?

There are still several issues that bothered me during my visit today.

1. I witnessed multiple dogs scratching at a tomb while the owner did nothing. The tomb appeared to be marble, so probably not a significant scratch. However, the concept is rather appalling to me.
2. I saw three young woman having a picnic and appeared to be drinking alcohol. Is Congressional trying to become a new BarkHaus? This whole thing looked in bad taste.
3. Its obnoxious to hear constant “come here” or clapping/whistling dog noises as you walk around.

The grounds are well maintained and there are some really unique people buried here. Worth...

It’s that time of the year! This is another well known cherry blossom spot so try to beat the crowd. Street parking was available, but of course limited on a Saturday. We only saw a few people actually driving through the cemetery. They have paper maps available at the front gate. Walking the lot has some ups and downs, but is generally easy. Another fun thing about the cemetery is that it’s dog friendly after a certain time of the day. I mean very dog friendly! It was a nice spring day so many people brought their dogs. We saw several dogs of all sizes frolicking together. I would look into the appropriate information if you’re planning to bring your canine, I believe there is a fee. I also loved watching the beekeepers tend to the very active hives stationed atop the crypts. It was fascinating to see the large masses of bees in the air around them. All eager to get to the surrounding flowering trees. This was my first visit, and I’d love to return throughout...