Presbyterian Burying Ground
| Presbyterian Burying Ground | |
|---|---|
Presbyterian Burying Ground in 2014 | |
Interactive map of Presbyterian Burying Ground | |
| Details | |
| Established | August 22, 1802 |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 38°54′44″N 77°04′01″W / 38.91224°N 77.067077°W |
| Type | Closed 1887; demolished August 1909 |
| Owned by | Georgetown Presbyterian Church |
| Size | 400 by 350 feet (120 by 110 m) (3.2 acres (13,000 m2)) |
| No. of graves | about 2,700 |
The Presbyterian Burying Ground, also known as the Old Presbyterian Burying Ground, was a historic cemetery which existed between 1802 and 1909 in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was one of the most prominent cemeteries in the city until the 1860s. Burials there tapered significantly after Oak Hill Cemetery was founded nearby in 1848.
In 1887, the Presbyterian Burying Ground closed to new burials. After an attempt was made in 1891 to demolish the cemetery and use the land for housing, about 500 to 700 bodies were disinterred. The remaining graves fell into extensive disrepair. After a decade of effort, the District of Columbia purchased the cemetery in 1909 and built Volta Park there, leaving nearly 2,000 bodies buried at the site. Occasional human remains and tombstones have been discovered at the park since its construction. A number of figures important in the early history of Georgetown and Washington, D.C., military figures, politicians, merchants, and others were buried at Presbyterian Burying Ground.