Congressional Cemetery National Historic Landmark Nomination
Sienkewicz JA. 2011. Congressional Cemetery National Historic Landmark Nomination. National Historic Landmark Nominations. 69000292_NHL. National Park Service. Washington, DC
This document is the National Historic Landmark (NHL) nomination for Congressional Cemetery in Washington, District of Columbia. The NHL nomination for Congressional Cemetery documents its national significance under NHL Criteria 1 and 4 as America’s first cemetery with national memorial aspirations. It was created in 1807 by a private corporation allied with a local Episcopal church with the intent of establishing a cemetery that merged the tradition of churchyard burial grounds with contemporary trends toward more civic-oriented burial grounds. With the decision in 1816 to provide burial plots for United States congressmen, it was refashioned to be a site of national memory. Over time, 168 cenotaphs whose design is attributed to Benjamin Henry Latrobe were installed to memorialize deceased members of Congress. The period of national significance is 1816-1876.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Sienkewicz, Julie
- Date of Issue
- 2011-06-14
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Keywords
- art, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, burial grounds, cemetery, cenotaph, commemoration, Congress, District of Columbia, landscape, National Historic Landmark, Washington