As we trudge toward spring, waiting for vaccines and dodging more infectious Covid mutations, we thought we would offer weekly suggestions for outings. Here’s Garrett’s pick for this week– Oak Hill Cemetery.
Some people, like my wife, get creeped out by cemeteries. I definitely do not – as is obvious by our work with the Mt. Zion Cemetery in Georgetown and our Headstones and History: Black Lives Matter(ed) course, which btw we are holding again this summer. Just up the hill from that cemetery is Oak Hill Cemetery and this is our get outdoors recommendation for this weekend. The cemetery is beautiful with a quiet elegance and a perfect place to stroll. It’s fascinating to see how different people and different time periods memorialize their loved (or not so loved!) ones. The cemetery has a wide array of sculptures and monuments as well as a number of famous/influential residents, like Dean Acheson, Lincoln’s Secretary of War Ewin Stanton, Peggy Eaton (ground zero for the Eaton Affair in Andrew Jackson’s first term), Myrtilla Miner (famous educator), some Confederate spies like Bettie Duvall and Antonia Ford, a ton of generals. One thing I love to do is find an interesting gravestone or memorial and then, standing there, look them up on Google. It’s a fun way to tool through the past and explore local history.
