A fascinating study of America's first national burial ground, with photos: "It's stunning to realize what a who's who exists in that space." -Howard Gillette, Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University at Camden
This study explores the multiple ways in which Congressional Cemetery has been, positioned for some two hundred years in "the shadow" of the U.S. Capitol. The narrative proceeds chronologically, discussing the burial ground, during three periods: the antebellum years, the years from the end of the Civil War to approximately 1970, when the site progressively deteriorated, and the period from the early 1970s to 2007, when both public and private organizations worked to preserve the physical site and the memory of what it has, been and continues, to represent.
This monograph focuses on the dominant narrative associated with the site: its legacy as the first national burial ground in the nation. Given this emphasis, the text presents a political and cultural analysis of the cemetery, with particular focus on the participation of the U.S. Congress.
