Rock Creek Park in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Historic Cemetery

Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 23, 2021

1. Historic Cemetery Marker

Inscription. From the point of this sign, east up the hill to Adams Mill Road, is 1.7 acres of National Zoological Park land that once formed part of the Union Benevolent Association Cemetery. The District of Columbia's Walter Pierce Community Park now occupies the remaining 5.1 acres of cemetery land. The Union Benevolent Association, incorporated by an act of Congress in 1865, established a cemetery on this site in 1870. African American members from the greater Washington, D.C. area paid an initiation fee in return for their family's burial rights.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical year for this entry is 1865.

Location. 38° 55.395′ N, 77° 2.931′ W. Marker has been reported damaged. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Rock Creek Park. Marker is on Beach Drive Northwest, 0.3 miles north of Shorham Drive Northwest, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2601 Woodley Pl NW, Washington DC 20008, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location. The ›Duke‹ Ellington Memorial Bridge (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Resilience and Resistance (about 400 feet away); Seeking Freedom (about 400 feet away); Rediscovery and Remembrance

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(about 400 feet away); Soldiers, Sailors, and Refugees of War (about 400 feet away); Archaeology in Adams Morgan: Surveying the Walter Pierce Park Cemeteries, 2005-2013 (about 400 feet away); Woodley Lane Bridge (about 700 feet away); Herring Highway (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.

More about this marker. Unfortunately the marker has been heavily damaged and text from the right half of the marker is now missing.

Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 23, 2021

2. Historic Cemetery Marker

The marker was found uprooted, damaged and leaning against the Duke Ellington Bridge in Rock Creek Park near a construction site.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 23, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 125 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 23, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.