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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. The Presbyterian Burying Ground closed to new burials in 1887, and about 500 to 700 bodies were disinterred after 1891 when an attempt was made to demolish the cemetery and use the land for housing. 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. ==Founding the cemetery== In 1780, Reverend Stephen Bloomer Balch established the Presbyterian Congregation in Georgetown (now known as Georgetown Presbyterian Church). The new Presbyterian congregation originally met in a local home, but in 1782 it built its first church home on the southeast corner of 30th and M Streets NW. It was the only Protestant church in the District of Columbia until 1805. The congregation grew swiftly, and the church was enlarged in 1793 and 1802. Originally, a small parish graveyard existed alongside the church, but it quickly filled to capacity. The Presbyterian Burying Ground was established by Georgetown Presbyterian Church on August 22, 1802, in an area now bounded by 4th, 5th, Market and Frederick Streets (now Volta Place NW and P, 33rd, and 34th Streets NW). Land for both the cemetery and a new Georgetown Presbyterian Church were donated by Dr. Charles Beatty, who provided a building lot of on the block. Beatty required that the property be used for either a church or a cemetery,〔〔 and that the property should revert to Beatty's heirs if not used for either purpose.〔 (Furthermore, the act of Congress of March 28, 1806, under which Georgetown Presbyterian Church was incorporated stipulated that the graveyard could not be used for any other purpose or disposed of.)〔 Dr. Beatty also donated a building lot on the block to the Methodist Episcopal Church, but this land became an annex of cemetery when the Methodists declined to build there. Dr. Beatty soon donated six more lots to Georgetown Presbyterian for use as a cemetery, giving the grounds a little over .〔 The burying ground (the term "cemetery" did not come into use until mid-century) was located in a middle-class neighborhood. On the south side of 4th Street in the southeast corner were the "20 Buildings"—two-story brick rowhouses constructed by Scottish workers who labored on the construction of the United States Capitol.〔〔 Presbyterian Burying Ground was laid out simply, similar to most cemeteries of the day. The cemetery had two gravel paths, lined with fir trees, one which bisected the grounds east-west and another which extended from 4th Street north to the center of the block.〔 The main entrance was in the east on Market Street. Black locust trees were planted about the grounds. A winding, somewhat circular path occupied the intersection of the two fir-lined gravel walkways.〔 No other footpaths were laid out, however, and access to most graves, vaults, and mausoleums were via informal dirt ruts in the lawn. Vandals and children were kept out by a high wooden fence.〔 A church was erected in 1855 on the east side of the property in the middle of the block. Sources differ as to its height (one or two stories) and its adornment (play or Gothic Revival). It contained high-back pews and a high pulpit, and served as Georgetown Presbyterian Church's primary place of worship. After the congregation erected a new church home in 1821, this small brick structure served as the cemetery chapel.〔 According to the ''Washington Federalist'' newspaper, "lots at present will be sold low for cash in order to defray present expenses, but when these are discharged they will rise much higher in price."〔 Interments began almost immediately, due to the low prices the church offered, and the cemetery was instantly popular.〔 Most of the graves were in the northern half of the cemetery, which sloped gently downward to Q Street.〔 Families erected small headstones and, later, large funerary monuments. Some private brick mausoleums were constructed, and the church itself built a burial vault (for those who wanted above-ground burial but without the cost of erecting their own tomb) "near a corner" of the cemetery. (The exact location of this "public vault" is not known.) The largest mausoleums in the cemetery were erected by the Kincaids, a large and wealthy Georgetown family,〔 and the Kurtzes, a banking and insurance family. The burying ground attracted most of Georgetown's aristocratic families,〔 including the Campbells and Morfeats (families who founded the town) and the Eastburns.〔 By some counts, there were more than 70 above-ground mausoleums.〔〔 But the Presbyterian Burying Ground wasn't just for the wealthy. It became the primary cemetery for all Georgetown residents. Many middle-class families built vaults for their loved ones. These were single or double-wide graves, usually lined with brick, into which one or more bodies were interred. The vault had a marble or brick lid, usually raised up off the ground by three or four courses. Many vaults were high, and surrounded by brick walls high.〔〔 At the cemetery's height, there were more than 100 vaults at Presbyterian Burying Ground.〔〔〔 The Presbyterian Burying Ground was, in its prime, considered beautiful and a socially desirable place for interment. The cemetery "was one of the prettiest to be found anywhere", said ''The Washington Post''. In the 1840s and 1850s, it was considered the equal of Oak Hill or Glenwood in terms of its beauty and social standing. "During its day the cemetery was () looked upon as the most select in the District."〔 The Reverend Thomas Bloomer Balch said that the cemetery was, from its inception into the 1860s, a symbol of "the pride and wealth and glory of aristocratic Georgetown". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Presbyterian Burying Ground」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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