Rock Creek Cemetery

Rock Creek Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in DC. The cemetery actually dates back to 1719, when Maryland was still a British colony. It was established as a public cemetery by Congress in 1840. The cemetery has been connected to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church from the beginning, but it is officially nondenominational and anyone can be buried there. The 86 acres are also meant to be public park, but it seems to primarily function as a cemetery.

Rock Creek Cemetery is also known for several unique memorials. The Adams Memorial (shown below), was sculpted by Augustus Saint-Gaidens. The sculpture is commonly called Grief, but its proper name is The Mystery of the Hereafter and the Peace of God that Passeth Understanding. The current landscaping surrounding the memorial is a dense cluster of bushes that sequesters it from the rest of the cemetery. The memorial loses something in this artificial setting, and I personally prefer the way it looks in historic photos. Henry Adams, who commissioned the memorial for his wife after she committed suicide, said the figure is “meant it to ask a question, not to give an answer.” You can find the memorial in Section E, and a copy can also be seen in the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Other notable sculptures include the moving Kauffmann Memorial with the Seven Ages of Memory (Section B), the somewhat spooky Rabboni-Ffoulke Memorial (Section B), and the eclectic bronze chair marking the grave of Democratic strategist Paul Tully (Section C). Some visitors have reported that cemetery staff discourage photography, but I did not experience that on the day of my visit.

Rock Creek Cemetery has no maps available on site, so you should download or print the cemetery map to have on hand during your visit. Even with a map, it can be hard to tell exactly where you are within the cemetery as the markers for each section are small and easily blend in with the headstones. Each section is marked with a small, oval marker like the one shown below, but it can sometimes be difficult to find these. The lot numbers are indicated with even smaller square stones placed level with the ground.

I find the list of famous residents at Rock Creek Cemetery to be a bit underwhelming. People like Abraham Baldwin, a signer of the U.S. Constitution, or Charles Truman Jenkins, inventor of the television, are not household names. Alice Roosevelt Longworth, is mostly known for being the daughter of President Teddy Roosevelt. Upton Sinclair, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Jungle, seems famous in his own right, but my unofficial polling shows that many haven’t heard of him either. However, this doesn’t make a visit to Rock Creek Cemetery any less interesting. My favorite part is the number and variety of mausoleums. As you walk up to each one and peer through the windows, you never know what you’ll see – lovely stained glass windows, interesting urns, and touching reminders of loving families.

Unlike Congressional Cemetery, Rock Creek Cemetery does not have walking tours or much additional information about its residents, memorials, or history available when you visit. The more I learn about the cemetery, the more interesting I find it, so it’s a shame that more isn’t done to engage with visitors. Rock Creek Cemetery is best visited in the spring or fall when temperatures are more moderate as there is little shade in most of the cemetery. There are several memorials and sculptures that are worth seeking out, but the rest of your time is best spent wandering around to see what you discover.

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Address

201 Allison St NW

Metro Station

• Fort Totten (RD, GR, YL)

Directions

The entrance to the cemetery is at the intersection of Rock Creek Church Road NW and Harewood Road NW. This is about a mile walk from the Fort Totten metro station. Adventurers can also take the H8 bus from the Georgia Avenue metro station.

Cost

Free

Hours

Grounds open daily from 8:00 am – 7:00 pm

Length of Adventure

1-2 hours

Website

https://www.stpaulsrockcreek.org/cemetery/