(Photo Courtesy of The Washington Post)
When Lauren came to visit, I knew we would have a great time, even if we didn’t really do anything at all. In fact, the most fun I’ve had on a car ride was getting stuck in a 6 hour traffic jam with Lauren on our way to Philly. Therefore, I wasn’t terribly worried when I came down with a cold the morning before she arrived. It was annoying and inconvenient, but it wouldn’t ruin her visit.
Armed with cough drops, tissues, and cold medicine, we went downtown and headed toward Eastern Market. While this would have been a fun destination, we didn’t stop there. We continued on the metro past the Market and found our way to the old Congressional Cemetery. I had heard of it in passing and an Internet post said that Harvey Milk’s remains were there, so it seemed like a worthwhile destination.
We followed the fence until we reached an entrance and upon entering we were told by a caretaker to look for white plaques with phone numbers on them next to notable grave stones and we could call the numbers to hear the story about the person buried there. Armed with this knowledge, we began an unexpected and intriguing scavenger hunt.
First, we came across the grave of two adventurers, which was an auspicious start, we thought, to our adventure. We also found the Madam on the Mall, who ran a well known brothel in 19th century DC. We passed by the Public Vault without realizing that it had been the initial resting place of 6,000 people, including Dolly Madison, John Quincy Adams, and Zachary Taylor. Other notable graves included J. Edgar Hoover, Matthew Brady, and John Philips Sousa. There was the unmarked grave of a Lincoln assassination conspirator and graves of notable women, such as the founder of the DAR and the first woman to run for president.
We walked up and down the hill and scoured the rows of gravestones, some tilted and some falling over, in search of the little white plaques. We were on a mission to locate Harvey Milk. The closest we had come was the grave of a Vietnam veteran that said, “I was given a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.” It was poignant and touching and we hadn’t expected to find it. In the end, we made our way back to the gate leading out of the cemetery without finding the grave we sought.
On the way out, we happened upon pamphlets of walking tours, showing exactly where notable graves where located. While it would have saved a whole lot of walking to have found this in the beginning of our visit, I think our entertainment of coming across unexpected surprises was far more enjoyable. These pamphlets also did not mention Harvey Milk. And by the time we had gotten back to the entrance, the caretaker house was closed, so we couldn’t ask about him there. However, we had accomplished a lot and decided to end our quest and head back home.
It turns out, Harvey Milk’s ashes had been scattered by friends in San Francisco Bay. The urn that had held the ashes was sent to the Congressional Cemetery to be included in a memorial there. That urn sat for 22 years but the memorial never came to be and has now been sent back to CA and is part of an exhibit at the Museum of California in Sacramento. So much for trusting some random page on the Internet.
Overall, it was an fantastic visit and I would highly recommend a trip to the Congressional Cemetery. It doubles as an off leash dog park, so it would be fun for your pooch too.