Grave of John Philip Sousa
Anyone who uses the cliché “silent as the grave” has never been to Historic Congressional Cemetery. The grounds, the stones, and the people buried here all have stories of beauty, courage, struggle, cunning, leadership, and humor—in short, the stories of American history. Located on a 35-acre tract of land in the farthest southeastern corner of the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., Congressional Cemetery is a nationally significant cemetery landscape as the first—and until the establishment of Arlington National Cemetery in 1864—the only cemetery with national memorial aspirations.
More than 65,000 people are now “residents” of Congressional, including such notables as John Philip Sousa, J. Edgar Hoover, Mathew Brady, former D.C. mayor Marion Barry, Cokie Roberts, and Vice President Elbridge Gerry, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Jackie Spainhour, Congressional Cemetery’s president, leads a fascinating journey into history from a unique perspective.
Patron Information
- If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.
- Unless otherwise noted, registration for streaming programs typically closes two hours prior to the start time on the date of the program.
- Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org.
- Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of the program. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of the program, please email Customer Service for assistance.
- View Common FAQs about our Streaming Programs on Zoom.
