Whispers linger among these aged stones here at Oak Hill Cemetery. This historic cemetery holds stories of prominent figures and significant events. Oak Hill Cemetery is a 22-acre rural cemetery in Georgetown. It began in 1848. William Wilson Corcoran founded it. He was inspired by Mount Auburn Cemetery near Boston.
Corcoran purchased 15 acres of land. He organized the Cemetery Company to oversee Oak Hill. Congress incorporated it in 1849. Oak Hill’s chapel was built in 1849. James Renwick designed it. He also designed the Smithsonian Institution’s Castle and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. The chapel is Gothic Revival style. It is made of blue gneiss with red Seneca sandstone trim.
By 1851, landscape designer Captain George F. de la Roche completed the layout. He created winding paths and terraces. These paths descend into Rock Creek valley. Corcoran had spent over $55000 on landscaping and architecture by 1853.
Many notable people are interred here at Oak Hill Cemetery. Dean Acheson rests here. He was Secretary of State under Harry Truman. Madeleine Albright is also buried here. Ben Bradlee, of the Washington Post, is interred here. Katherine Graham, also of the Washington Post, rests here with her husband Phillip Graham. Even Confederate President Jefferson Davis was buried here until 1893.
“Willie” Lincoln, son of President Abraham Lincoln, was interred here. This inspired George Saunders’ novel Lincoln in the Bardo. The Van Ness Mausoleum is another notable structure. George Hadfield designed it in 1833. It is a replica of the Roman Temple of Vesta. It was moved here in 1872.
Oak Hill Cemetery is featured in several works of fiction. It appears in David Baldacci’s The Camel Club. A tomb here is a dead drop site in John Le Carre’s The Perfect Spy. The cemetery released a history book in January 2024. It is titled Oak Hill Cemetery by Laura Lavelle.
Take a moment to appreciate the peace of Oak Hill. The cemetery offers a glimpse into the past. Its monuments and landscaping tell silent stories. As you leave Oak Hill Cemetery, remember those who shaped history. Their legacies live on within these grounds.