OAK HILL CEMETERY
3001 R. Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20007
202.337.2835
Established: 1848
Acres: 22
Official Website
Bella Morte Rating: 5 Tombstones
Oak Hill, located in Washington’s Georgetown District, is by far one of the loveliest cemeteries we have ever had the pleasure of exploring. After braving the noise and congestion of the surrounding area, it is especially delightful to enter an oasis of calm and such sheer beauty it can literally take one’s breath away.
This diminutive cemetery, designed by George F. de la Roche (who also designed nearby Glenwood), is one of the most brilliant examples of the Garden Cemetery Model that we have ever seen.
The entire burial ground is situated on a hillside that descends in elegant tiers to Rock Creek below. There is barely (and thankfully) a straight line to be found anywhere. Instead, gravesites are artfully integrated into the landscape, uniting man and nature in the most wonderful way possible.
For those with an interest in the early history of our nation, there are many political and military notables buried in Oak Hill and information on them can easily be obtained at the office. For our tastes, we will explore a few tales with a decidedly macabre bent! Both involve one of our nation’s greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln.
The first story comes to us following the tragic death of Lincoln’s favorite child, William (“Willie”).
The year was 1862. Outside, chill February winds blew along the unpaved roads of the nation’s capital. Inside the White House, there was a chill of another kind as it became apparent to all concerned that 11-year-old Willie Lincoln was not long for this world. Two weeks earlier he’d been a frail but healthy and wildly active child who endeared himself to family, staff and visitors alike. Now, however, as the month drew to its close, he was emaciated and pale, laying in an enormous rosewood bed, delirious and unable to recognize even those he loved best. Though the actual cause of his illness was never determined, it seems most likely to have been typhoid fever contracted from the White House water supply. At the time, open sewers were the order of the day and the city’s trash was dumped into these unwholesome “streams” which also supplied the drinking water. Be that as it may, Willie succumbed to his malady at 5PM on the 20th of February, 1862.
His parents were inconsolable. Mary took to her bed and was so distraught she could not even attend the viewing or funeral of her beloved child.
Being of a somewhat stronger constitution, Lincoln himself bore up against the enormous weight of his grief with considerably better (at least to the outside world) results. That fact notwithstanding, the President wept openly upon Willie’s death, proclaiming, "My poor boy, he was too good for this earth. God has called him home. I know that he is much better off in heaven, but then we loved him so. It is hard…hard to have him die!"
Though he was able to carry on with his work, those closest to him spoke of a man utterly changed by the loss. For the remainder of his years, which were few, the President was known to surround himself with the dead child’s playthings and often spoke of him as if he were yet present.
But back to our story…
Willie’s body was embalmed and laid in a metal coffin fashioned to resemble rosewood. This was placed in the White House’s Green Room where it and its precious contents would remain for the next four days. The room’s sizable gilt mirrors had their frames draped in black crepe while the glass itself was covered in white fabric. This custom of covering the glass has at its heart a Victorian superstition which indicated that, while the body of the deceased was in a home, all mirrors must be covered (usually in black) so the spirit of the dead individual would not become trapped in the glass and thus be prevented from making its journey to the other side of life. In addition, some Victorians feared seeing one’s reflection in a mirror where the deceased was on display (or where a death had recently occurred) would precipitate, in short order, one’s own demise.
While this is interesting in and of itself, it also speaks to the fact the Mary Lincoln was openly involved in the Spiritualist Movement and that the President himself, though not outwardly so, was inclined to believe in the paranormal. More on that in a moment…
At 2PM on the 24th of February, 1862, Willie’s body was transferred to the East Room where, after as short service, lad and casket were loaded into a hearse, pulled by two white horses. These carried the boy to Oak Hill’s beautiful Gothic Revival Chapel (designed by James Renwick, whose work is also seen in the Smithsonian Institution's Castle on Washington Mall and St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York). The President, without the comforting presence of his grieving wife, followed behind in a black carriage.
Following another short memorial, the casket was taken for temporary storage to the vault belonging to the Clerk of the Supreme Count, William Carroll, who offered the space until such time as the boy could be transferred back to Illinois, where the Lincoln’s hailed from and where they intended to sleep eternally at Springfield’s Oak Ridge Cemetery. At the time, of course, no one could have know it would be a matter of three short years before father and son were reunited in death.
But of course, we have one (actually, two) small details to add.
Though few care to recount the fact, such was the magnitude of the President’s grief upon the untimely demise of young Willie that on two separate occasions he visited the Carroll Crypt (in the cemetery’s North Hill Section) and there had the boy’s casket opened so that he might once again look upon his beloved child’s face. Those present at these viewings indicated Willie’s state of preservation was such that he might easily have been asleep instead of dead.
For her part, Mary Lincoln could never again bring herself to enter the room in which Willie died, nor could she countenance the Green Room in which he rested until his permanent departure from the White House.
And now to our second and third tales, which we relate for sheer interest and not because of any tie to Oak Hill.
We referred earlier to Lincoln’s interest in what some might call the “occult.” This was evidenced by his fascination with a “vision” he had while gazing in a mirror in 1860 wherein he beheld two different images of himself--one animated with life and good health, the other pale and wan. So taken was he by this phenomenon, which he saw on numerous occasions, that he even told Mary about it. Indeed, he attempted to show it to her, though she failed to discern the images. That being said, she did believe her husband and saw in what he described a portent of his failure to survive his second term in office.
The last, even more interesting story in this regard, has to do with a dream the President related to his dear friend, Ward Hill Lamon, whom Lincoln had appointed as a member of his security detail. [NOTE: Lamon resigned the post on more than one occasion out of frustration over his friend’s lack of seriousness about his own safety. Indeed, Lincoln would often sneak out of the White House to ride, unaccompanied, to plays or various spots in the capital and, on one occasion, narrowly missed being assassinated as the would-be killer’s bullet passed through his top hat, barely missing the President’s head!]
In any case, Lincoln once told Lamon of a disturbing dream (premonition?) he had which we reproduce here in the President’s own words:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About ten days ago, I retired late and I soon began to dream. There seemed to be a death-like stillness about me. Then I heard subdued sobs, as if a number of people were weeping. I thought I left my bed and wandered downstairs. There the same pitiful sobbing broke the silence, but the mourners were invisible. I went from room to room; no living person was in sight, but the same mournful sounds of distress met me as I passed along.
It was light in all the rooms; every object was familiar to me, but where were all the people who were grieving as if their hearts would break?
I was puzzled and alarmed. What could be the meaning of all this? Determined to find the cause of a state of things so mysterious and so shocking, I kept on until I arrived at the East Room, which I entered. Before me was a catafalque, on which rested a corpse wrapped in funeral vestments. Around it were stationed soldiers who were acting as guards; and there was a throng of people, some gazing mournfully upon the corpse, whose face was covered. Others weeped pitifully.
‘Who is dead in the White House?,’ I demanded of one of the soldiers.
‘The President,’ was his answer, ‘He was killed by an assassin.’
Then came a loud burst of grief from the crowd, which awoke me from my dream. I slept no more that night; and although it was only a dream, I have been strangely annoyed by it ever since.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upon hearing the dream, Lamon redoubled his efforts to secure his friend’s safety.
Unfortunately, on the night of Lincoln’s fated trip to Ford’s Theatre, Lamon was in Richmond, Virginia on the President’s business. Even so, he was never able to forgive himself for not being present that night. He believed the assassination may have been foiled had he been in attendance.
In any case, after an elaborate funeral, Abraham was joined by Willie on the funeral train that took father and son, at last, to Springfield.
For those interested in such things, Lincoln’s remains did not rest easily. A quick Google search will reveal the details of his strange journey to his final resting place.
Now, a few more words about Oak Hill itself.
This is truly one of our favorite cemeteries. With its winding paths, cool, filtered light provided by an abundance of trees, and meticulous attention to maintenance of the grounds, Oak Hill is paradisiacal! Victorian statuary, soaring obelisks, hillside crypts and well-manicured family plots combine for a symphony of funereal perfection.
One of the most haunting monuments we came across was erected to the memory of Hayward Ramsdell. The black granite stone is surmounted by a bust of the infant whose eyes, acted upon by the agencies of time and weather, appear black and sightless. The words engraved upon his stone are as follows:
HAYWARD,
Son of
H.J. & EMILY
RAMSDELL.
Born
Jan’y 17, 1871
Died
April 19, 1874.
_______
It is as natural to die as
to be born, and to a little infant
perhaps, the one is as faithful
as the other.
It would seem a pity that a place as special as this could not accommodate modern interments; however, until recently, that was exactly the case. Bound by neighbourhoods on several sides, and the Rock Creek and Parkway beyond, Oak Hill had no room to admit any new residents for over 100 years. Thankfully, the vision of the cemetery’s Board of Managers has changed all that. Today, there are several new after-life options available to those desirous of becoming one with Oak Hill’s immaculate environs:
The Willow Columbarium. Constructed in 2011, the new columbarium rose out of the muck and mud that used to lie beyond the cemetery’s arched bridge. With its attractive geometric floor, designed to resemble Victorian paving patterns, its central planter, disarmingly beautiful black granite Willow logo and two intricate angel reliefs rendered by sculptor Andrew Del Gallo, the Willow Columbarium will provide space for inurnment for many decades to come.
The Pathway Crypts. Located along the original pathways designed by de la Roche, these new crypts are being created as renovations to the paths themselves take place. The stones are lifted and the ground beneath excavated to accommodate both single and double crypts for the interment of caskets. Until occupied and sealed, the crypts will be covered with mortar to provide integrity to the walkway above. After burial has taken place, reinforced concrete will be added to provide a waterproof and utterly secure resting place for the deceased who lie within. In several areas, cremation niches built to the same high standard will be available in sizes to accommodate single and double inurnments, and a number of crypts capable of holding a maximum of 8 urns will also be for sale.
Renwick Cremation Sites. These are, not surprisingly, located beneath the horseshoe path that runs alongside the Renwick Chapel and are intended for urns only.
Terraced Niches. The terraced spaces are currently created using existing stairways in the cemetery’s numerous hillside locations. Each riser on the stairway can accommodate one to two urns which are placed alongside, not beneath, each step. These crypt spaces are permanently sealed when occupied to prevent theft or damage from natural or human intervention. Other staircases feature inurnments placed directly beneath the steps themselves.
In the future, Oak Hill will continue to add space for entombment and inurnment along the pathways as they are renovated. In addition, urn space will be created along existing stairs or stairs to be constructed in times to come. Private cremation spaces for family estates are also available.
Finally, we will mention Oak Hill’s addition of what the administrators affectionately call “A Room With A View.” This is the area directly beneath the aforementioned arched bridge that was formerly, as we understand it, in grave disrepair and used to dump old clay pots and some natural debris. In 2011, however, it was transformed into the beautiful spot you can see in our gallery. Visitors may relax on one of two teak benches, each of which is graced by the presence of resplendent ferns that have wintered in the comfort of the cemetery greenhouse for the past 20 years!
Looking uphill will afford one a view of a scaled-down reproduction of Augustus Saint Gauden’s, Angel, while a look downhill will provide an unprecedented view of the Willow Columbarium.
For a better idea of what Oak Hill has to offer, please peruse our gallery. And, because we love this cemetery so much, we shamelessly include here a link for those of you who might be inclined to contribute to its continued beautification and upkeep.
Our enthusiasm for Oak Hill should require no further exposition. Suffice it to say that if you are within driving distance (or if you can afford to fly) Oak Hill should make your shortlist of must-see cemeteries. While there, be sure to visit the Carroll Crypt so that you can relish the privilege of standing in the footsteps of President Lincoln!
[F]
3001 R. Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20007
202.337.2835
Established: 1848
Acres: 22
Official Website
Bella Morte Rating: 5 Tombstones
Oak Hill, located in Washington’s Georgetown District, is by far one of the loveliest cemeteries we have ever had the pleasure of exploring. After braving the noise and congestion of the surrounding area, it is especially delightful to enter an oasis of calm and such sheer beauty it can literally take one’s breath away.
This diminutive cemetery, designed by George F. de la Roche (who also designed nearby Glenwood), is one of the most brilliant examples of the Garden Cemetery Model that we have ever seen.
The entire burial ground is situated on a hillside that descends in elegant tiers to Rock Creek below. There is barely (and thankfully) a straight line to be found anywhere. Instead, gravesites are artfully integrated into the landscape, uniting man and nature in the most wonderful way possible.
For those with an interest in the early history of our nation, there are many political and military notables buried in Oak Hill and information on them can easily be obtained at the office. For our tastes, we will explore a few tales with a decidedly macabre bent! Both involve one of our nation’s greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln.
The first story comes to us following the tragic death of Lincoln’s favorite child, William (“Willie”).
The year was 1862. Outside, chill February winds blew along the unpaved roads of the nation’s capital. Inside the White House, there was a chill of another kind as it became apparent to all concerned that 11-year-old Willie Lincoln was not long for this world. Two weeks earlier he’d been a frail but healthy and wildly active child who endeared himself to family, staff and visitors alike. Now, however, as the month drew to its close, he was emaciated and pale, laying in an enormous rosewood bed, delirious and unable to recognize even those he loved best. Though the actual cause of his illness was never determined, it seems most likely to have been typhoid fever contracted from the White House water supply. At the time, open sewers were the order of the day and the city’s trash was dumped into these unwholesome “streams” which also supplied the drinking water. Be that as it may, Willie succumbed to his malady at 5PM on the 20th of February, 1862.
His parents were inconsolable. Mary took to her bed and was so distraught she could not even attend the viewing or funeral of her beloved child.
Being of a somewhat stronger constitution, Lincoln himself bore up against the enormous weight of his grief with considerably better (at least to the outside world) results. That fact notwithstanding, the President wept openly upon Willie’s death, proclaiming, "My poor boy, he was too good for this earth. God has called him home. I know that he is much better off in heaven, but then we loved him so. It is hard…hard to have him die!"
Though he was able to carry on with his work, those closest to him spoke of a man utterly changed by the loss. For the remainder of his years, which were few, the President was known to surround himself with the dead child’s playthings and often spoke of him as if he were yet present.
But back to our story…
Willie’s body was embalmed and laid in a metal coffin fashioned to resemble rosewood. This was placed in the White House’s Green Room where it and its precious contents would remain for the next four days. The room’s sizable gilt mirrors had their frames draped in black crepe while the glass itself was covered in white fabric. This custom of covering the glass has at its heart a Victorian superstition which indicated that, while the body of the deceased was in a home, all mirrors must be covered (usually in black) so the spirit of the dead individual would not become trapped in the glass and thus be prevented from making its journey to the other side of life. In addition, some Victorians feared seeing one’s reflection in a mirror where the deceased was on display (or where a death had recently occurred) would precipitate, in short order, one’s own demise.
While this is interesting in and of itself, it also speaks to the fact the Mary Lincoln was openly involved in the Spiritualist Movement and that the President himself, though not outwardly so, was inclined to believe in the paranormal. More on that in a moment…
At 2PM on the 24th of February, 1862, Willie’s body was transferred to the East Room where, after as short service, lad and casket were loaded into a hearse, pulled by two white horses. These carried the boy to Oak Hill’s beautiful Gothic Revival Chapel (designed by James Renwick, whose work is also seen in the Smithsonian Institution's Castle on Washington Mall and St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York). The President, without the comforting presence of his grieving wife, followed behind in a black carriage.
Following another short memorial, the casket was taken for temporary storage to the vault belonging to the Clerk of the Supreme Count, William Carroll, who offered the space until such time as the boy could be transferred back to Illinois, where the Lincoln’s hailed from and where they intended to sleep eternally at Springfield’s Oak Ridge Cemetery. At the time, of course, no one could have know it would be a matter of three short years before father and son were reunited in death.
But of course, we have one (actually, two) small details to add.
Though few care to recount the fact, such was the magnitude of the President’s grief upon the untimely demise of young Willie that on two separate occasions he visited the Carroll Crypt (in the cemetery’s North Hill Section) and there had the boy’s casket opened so that he might once again look upon his beloved child’s face. Those present at these viewings indicated Willie’s state of preservation was such that he might easily have been asleep instead of dead.
For her part, Mary Lincoln could never again bring herself to enter the room in which Willie died, nor could she countenance the Green Room in which he rested until his permanent departure from the White House.
And now to our second and third tales, which we relate for sheer interest and not because of any tie to Oak Hill.
We referred earlier to Lincoln’s interest in what some might call the “occult.” This was evidenced by his fascination with a “vision” he had while gazing in a mirror in 1860 wherein he beheld two different images of himself--one animated with life and good health, the other pale and wan. So taken was he by this phenomenon, which he saw on numerous occasions, that he even told Mary about it. Indeed, he attempted to show it to her, though she failed to discern the images. That being said, she did believe her husband and saw in what he described a portent of his failure to survive his second term in office.
The last, even more interesting story in this regard, has to do with a dream the President related to his dear friend, Ward Hill Lamon, whom Lincoln had appointed as a member of his security detail. [NOTE: Lamon resigned the post on more than one occasion out of frustration over his friend’s lack of seriousness about his own safety. Indeed, Lincoln would often sneak out of the White House to ride, unaccompanied, to plays or various spots in the capital and, on one occasion, narrowly missed being assassinated as the would-be killer’s bullet passed through his top hat, barely missing the President’s head!]
In any case, Lincoln once told Lamon of a disturbing dream (premonition?) he had which we reproduce here in the President’s own words:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About ten days ago, I retired late and I soon began to dream. There seemed to be a death-like stillness about me. Then I heard subdued sobs, as if a number of people were weeping. I thought I left my bed and wandered downstairs. There the same pitiful sobbing broke the silence, but the mourners were invisible. I went from room to room; no living person was in sight, but the same mournful sounds of distress met me as I passed along.
It was light in all the rooms; every object was familiar to me, but where were all the people who were grieving as if their hearts would break?
I was puzzled and alarmed. What could be the meaning of all this? Determined to find the cause of a state of things so mysterious and so shocking, I kept on until I arrived at the East Room, which I entered. Before me was a catafalque, on which rested a corpse wrapped in funeral vestments. Around it were stationed soldiers who were acting as guards; and there was a throng of people, some gazing mournfully upon the corpse, whose face was covered. Others weeped pitifully.
‘Who is dead in the White House?,’ I demanded of one of the soldiers.
‘The President,’ was his answer, ‘He was killed by an assassin.’
Then came a loud burst of grief from the crowd, which awoke me from my dream. I slept no more that night; and although it was only a dream, I have been strangely annoyed by it ever since.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upon hearing the dream, Lamon redoubled his efforts to secure his friend’s safety.
Unfortunately, on the night of Lincoln’s fated trip to Ford’s Theatre, Lamon was in Richmond, Virginia on the President’s business. Even so, he was never able to forgive himself for not being present that night. He believed the assassination may have been foiled had he been in attendance.
In any case, after an elaborate funeral, Abraham was joined by Willie on the funeral train that took father and son, at last, to Springfield.
For those interested in such things, Lincoln’s remains did not rest easily. A quick Google search will reveal the details of his strange journey to his final resting place.
Now, a few more words about Oak Hill itself.
This is truly one of our favorite cemeteries. With its winding paths, cool, filtered light provided by an abundance of trees, and meticulous attention to maintenance of the grounds, Oak Hill is paradisiacal! Victorian statuary, soaring obelisks, hillside crypts and well-manicured family plots combine for a symphony of funereal perfection.
One of the most haunting monuments we came across was erected to the memory of Hayward Ramsdell. The black granite stone is surmounted by a bust of the infant whose eyes, acted upon by the agencies of time and weather, appear black and sightless. The words engraved upon his stone are as follows:
HAYWARD,
Son of
H.J. & EMILY
RAMSDELL.
Born
Jan’y 17, 1871
Died
April 19, 1874.
_______
It is as natural to die as
to be born, and to a little infant
perhaps, the one is as faithful
as the other.
It would seem a pity that a place as special as this could not accommodate modern interments; however, until recently, that was exactly the case. Bound by neighbourhoods on several sides, and the Rock Creek and Parkway beyond, Oak Hill had no room to admit any new residents for over 100 years. Thankfully, the vision of the cemetery’s Board of Managers has changed all that. Today, there are several new after-life options available to those desirous of becoming one with Oak Hill’s immaculate environs:
The Willow Columbarium. Constructed in 2011, the new columbarium rose out of the muck and mud that used to lie beyond the cemetery’s arched bridge. With its attractive geometric floor, designed to resemble Victorian paving patterns, its central planter, disarmingly beautiful black granite Willow logo and two intricate angel reliefs rendered by sculptor Andrew Del Gallo, the Willow Columbarium will provide space for inurnment for many decades to come.
The Pathway Crypts. Located along the original pathways designed by de la Roche, these new crypts are being created as renovations to the paths themselves take place. The stones are lifted and the ground beneath excavated to accommodate both single and double crypts for the interment of caskets. Until occupied and sealed, the crypts will be covered with mortar to provide integrity to the walkway above. After burial has taken place, reinforced concrete will be added to provide a waterproof and utterly secure resting place for the deceased who lie within. In several areas, cremation niches built to the same high standard will be available in sizes to accommodate single and double inurnments, and a number of crypts capable of holding a maximum of 8 urns will also be for sale.
Renwick Cremation Sites. These are, not surprisingly, located beneath the horseshoe path that runs alongside the Renwick Chapel and are intended for urns only.
Terraced Niches. The terraced spaces are currently created using existing stairways in the cemetery’s numerous hillside locations. Each riser on the stairway can accommodate one to two urns which are placed alongside, not beneath, each step. These crypt spaces are permanently sealed when occupied to prevent theft or damage from natural or human intervention. Other staircases feature inurnments placed directly beneath the steps themselves.
In the future, Oak Hill will continue to add space for entombment and inurnment along the pathways as they are renovated. In addition, urn space will be created along existing stairs or stairs to be constructed in times to come. Private cremation spaces for family estates are also available.
Finally, we will mention Oak Hill’s addition of what the administrators affectionately call “A Room With A View.” This is the area directly beneath the aforementioned arched bridge that was formerly, as we understand it, in grave disrepair and used to dump old clay pots and some natural debris. In 2011, however, it was transformed into the beautiful spot you can see in our gallery. Visitors may relax on one of two teak benches, each of which is graced by the presence of resplendent ferns that have wintered in the comfort of the cemetery greenhouse for the past 20 years!
Looking uphill will afford one a view of a scaled-down reproduction of Augustus Saint Gauden’s, Angel, while a look downhill will provide an unprecedented view of the Willow Columbarium.
For a better idea of what Oak Hill has to offer, please peruse our gallery. And, because we love this cemetery so much, we shamelessly include here a link for those of you who might be inclined to contribute to its continued beautification and upkeep.
Our enthusiasm for Oak Hill should require no further exposition. Suffice it to say that if you are within driving distance (or if you can afford to fly) Oak Hill should make your shortlist of must-see cemeteries. While there, be sure to visit the Carroll Crypt so that you can relish the privilege of standing in the footsteps of President Lincoln!
[F]