Unearthing Capitol Hill's Buried History

While the U.S. Capitol has plenty of ghost stories and legends galore, no one is actually buried in the building — even though it contains a room called the Crypt! The Historic Congressional Cemetery, on the other hand, has thousands of dead souls resting in its 35 acres of grounds.

Never heard of Congressional Cemetery? Nestled in the far eastern edge of the Capitol Hill neighborhood (known to locals as the Hill East area), the cemetery contains more than 55,000 gravesites, and many of them contain famous or noteworthy residents.

The two men recognized as the first and second Architects of the Capitol have direct connections to Historic Congressional Cemetery. In fact, the first Architect of the Capitol, William Thornton (1759-1828) — whose U.S. Capitol design was chosen by George Washington — is buried there. 

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Photo by

Thomas Hatzenbuhler

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Cenotaph honoring John Quincy Adams at the Congressional Cemetery.

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Photo by

Thomas Hatzenbuhler

Views of Latrobe Cenotaphs at Congressional Cemetery; Cenotaph honoring John Quincy Adams.

The second Architect of the Capitol, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, designed the cenotaphs, or sandstone commemorative markers, that honor congressmen who died in office and are on display at the Congressional Cemetery.

These cenotaphs are in many cases simply monuments and do not mark a burial place of a member of Congress; approximately 60 bodies are interred beneath the more than 160 cenotaphs that can be found throughout the cemetery. They are made of Aquia Creek sandstone, the same material originally used for the exterior of the U.S. Capitol. Legend has it that in the late 1870s these cenotaphs fell out of favor when Massachusetts Senator George Hoar remarked that being buried beneath one would "add a new terror to death."

This prominent burial location may not have been available at all if it weren't for another instrumental figure in the construction of the U.S. Capitol, George Blagden (1769?-1826).

Hired in 1794 as a stonecutter when the foundations of the Capitol were still being laid, Blagden advanced to become the foreman of the masonry department. By the time he died, he had helped complete construction of the original Capitol design.

One of the original investors in Congressional Cemetery, Blagden was also one of three trustees who were the most active in establishing and managing it.

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View of the Blagden vault at Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.; Plaster bas-relief portrait of Blagden.

Photos by

Thomas Hatzenbuhler; Unknown

While he wasn't commemorated with a cenotaph, Blagden was buried in his family vault in the cemetery he helped create. The brick structure has a domed vault, and a stepped pyramid-like facade with sandstone trim capping the brick wall. One imagines that Blagden ensured that it was constructed to stand the tests of time, as he did with the Capitol.

Others buried at Historic Congressional Cemetery with ties to the U.S. Capitol include city architects George Hadfield (1763-1826) and Robert Mills (1781-1855), stonecutter William Swinton, and members of the original Capitol Guide Service.