Gate of Heaven Cemetery (Silver Spring, Maryland)
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1956 |
| Location | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 39°05′00″N 77°04′23″W / 39.083206°N 77.073106°WCoordinates: 39°05′00″N 77°04′23″W / 39.083206°N 77.073106°W |
| Type | private |
| Owned by | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington |
| Size | 92 acres (370,000 m2) |
| Website | Gate of Heaven Cemetery Web site |
| Find a Grave | Gate of Heaven Cemetery |
| The Political Graveyard | Gate of Heaven Cemetery |
Gate of Heaven Cemetery is a cemetery located at 13801 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, Maryland, in the United States. It is maintained by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. Consecrated in 1956, it was the first Roman Catholic archdiocesan cemetery to open in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area in 70 years.
About the cemetery
The District of Columbia was founded in 1791, and initially several small Roman Catholic cemeteries were established in the city. The last of these, St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery on Lincoln Road NE, was organized in 1870. Despite the rapid growth in the city's population during the next 70 years, no new Catholic cemeteries were organized within the Archdiocese of Washington. The Right Reverend Monsignor Edward L. Buckley of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle was aware of the need to plan ahead, however, and began advocating for the purchase of land for a new burying ground. In 1928, the Catholic Cemetery Association, private nonprofit organization which purchases land for the creation of Catholic cemeteries, purchased 92 acres (370,000 m2) of land from the Rabbitt family in Montgomery County, Maryland. The intent was to name the new cemetery "New Mount Olivet", although no name was ever formally adopted.[1]
By 1955, it was clear that a new cemetery was sorely needed in the Archdiocese of Washington. The Catholic Cemetery Association turned title to the land over to the archdiocese, and a new cemetery—named Gate of Heaven Cemetery—was established. Gate of Heaven cemetery was laid out around a 10-acre (40,000 m2) cruciform roadway lined with trees. Four roughly rectangular sections extended from each side of this cruciform roadway.[1] Life-size Stations of the Cross were placed at intervals in this central section.[2] All roadways were named for saints, and numerous shrines to saints were scattered about the cemetery's 28 sections.[1][2] A 100-seat chapel was constructed at the center of the cruciform roadway.[2] The cemetery's main gate was particularly notable. It featured large wrought iron gates set in masonry pylons 10 feet (3.0 m) high and 30 feet (9.1 m) wide. Just inside and to the right of the main gate was a small caretaker's cottage made of stone. The cemetery was dedicated on June 17, 1956, by the Most Reverend Patrick O'Boyle, Archbishop of Washington.[1]
Gate of Heaven Cemetery began receiving interrments at the beginning of July 1956.[2]
Cemetery grounds
Gate of Heaven Cemetery is roughly bounded by George Avenue; Connecticut Avenue; Peppertree and Beaverwood Lanes; Birchtree Lane, Beret Lane, the Beret Neighborhood Conservation Area, and the open-air Aspen Manor shopping and retail complex. A portion of the northeast corner of the cemetery was sold in the 1960s or 1970s to the state of Maryland as a means of raising funds for the trust account that maintains the cemetery. Strathmore Park and Strathmore Elementary School now occupy this area. Gate of Heaven Cemetery only used about half of its acreage when it opened in 1956, and only in the late 1990s began expanding onto its unused land.
Gate of Heaven Cemetery is a traditional lawn cemetery. The burial area is a lawn, with trees and shrubs around the perimeter. Most gravestones are flush with the earth, with only a few above-ground memorials. The cemetery also has several mausoleums for interrment, as well as several columbaria.
Gate of Heaven Cemetery administers St. John's Forest Glen Cemetery on Rosensteel Avenue in southern Silver Spring.
Notable interments
- John Miller Baer (1886–1970), Member of the House of Representatives from North Dakota[3]
- John B. Bennett (1904–1964), Member of the House of Representatives from Michigan[4]
- James B. Carey (1911–1973), labor leader, president of the United Electrical and Machine Workers (1936–1941) and president (1950–1965) of the International Union of Electrical Workers[5]
- Pascal Emile Charlot (1930–2002), victim of the Beltway sniper attacks[6]
- Al DeMao (1920-2008), college and professional football legend and one of the "70 Greatest" players for the Washington Redskins[7]
- Marion LeRoy Fleming, Jr. (1949–2013), go-go singer/musician with Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers who received a gold record for the single "Bustin' Loose"[8]
- James Leo "Jim" Gibbons (1913-2001), noted Washington, D.C., and Maryland broadcaster, "voice" of the Washington Redskins on radio and television for 23 years, and ABC Radio Network "Game of the Week" play-by-play announcer[9]
- Joe Judge (1894–1963), Major League Baseball player for the Washington Senators[10]
- Alphonse "Tuffy" Leemans (1912-1979), Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee and football player for the New York Giants[11]
- Charles F. McLaughlin (1887–1976), Member of the House of Representatives from Nebraska[12]
- George Meany (1894–1980), president of the American Federation of Labor (1952–1955) and the AFL-CIO (1955–1979)[13]
- John J. O'Connor (1885–1960), Member of the House of Representatives from New York[14]
- Joseph P. O'Hara (1895–1975), Member of the House of Representatives from Minnesota[15]
- James M. Quigley (1918–2011), Member of the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania[16]
- John J. Sirica (1904–1992), judge who presided over the Watergate scandal trails[17]
- Mattie J.T. Stepanek (1990–2004), best-selling teenage poet and author who suffered from a rare form of muscular dystrophy (dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy)[18]
- Eugene Paul Willging (1909–1965), editor, Catholic Press Association Press[19]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Archbishop to Dedicate Cemetery". The Washington Post. June 16, 1956.
- 1 2 3 4 "O'Boyle Dedicates New Cemetery". The Washington Post. June 18, 1956.
- ↑ Dodge 2005, p. 593.
- ↑ Dodge 2005, p. 643.
- ↑ Spencer 1998, p. 330.
- ↑ Ruane, Michael E.; Glod, Maria (October 20, 2002). "Witness Charged With Fabricating Account". The Washington Post.
- ↑ "Albert DeMao". The Washington Post. February 5, 2008.
- ↑ "Marion LeRoy Fleming, Jr.". Baltimore Afro-American. April 3, 2013.
- ↑ "Broadcaster James Gibbons Dies". Frederick Post-News. February 16, 2001. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
- ↑ "Judge's Funeral Services Today". The Washington Post. March 14, 1963.
- ↑ "Leemans, Alphonse E. (Tuffy)". The Washington Post. January 23, 1979.
- ↑ Dodge 2005, p. 1558.
- ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth (January 16, 1980). "Labor, Politicians Eulogize Meany". The Washington Post.
- ↑ Dodge 2005, p. 1671.
- ↑ Dodge 2005, pp. 1674–1675.
- ↑ "James M. Quigley". The Washington Post. December 17, 2011.
- ↑ Franscell 2012, p. 92.
- ↑ Johnson, Darragh (June 29, 2004). "Celebrating the Courage of Mattie". The Washington Post.
- ↑ Spencer 1998, p. 3.
Bibliography
- Dodge, Andrew R. (2005). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: 1774–2005. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780160731761.
- Franscell, Ron (2012). The Crime Buff's Guide to Outlaw Washington, D.C. Guilford, Conn.: Globe Pequot Press. ISBN 9780762773855.
- Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried: A Directory Containing More Than Twenty Thousand Names of Notable Persons Buried in American Cemeteries, With Listings of Many Prominent People Who Were Cremated. Baltimore, Md.: Clearfield Co. ISBN 9780806348230.