You should be at The Accordion, on the right side of the road, about half way between the the gate and the intersecting brick path. It's one of the quirks on this side of the road. &nbsp;I'll tell you about them in the audio portion.

The Accordion

See those identical squat cubes on the left side of the road? The ones with the pointy tops? They're the reason this is called Congressional Cemetery. I'll let Rebecca Roberts explain them. She'll also tell you why it's totally legit to live it up in this cemetery.&nbsp;She's got a personal connection to this place&nbsp;and she tells the best stories. So stay to the left and have a listen. At the end, you'll need to find Sen. Chester Ashley. He's up ahead, one of the cenotaphs facing the road, nearly at the chapel.

Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cenotaphs_Clay_Calhoun.JPG">"Cenotaphs Clay Calhoun"</a> by&nbsp;<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Smallbones" title="User:Smallbones">Smallbones</a>&nbsp;is licensed under&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en">CC0 1.0</a>

The Congressional Cenotaphs

Sen. Chester Ashley was from Arkansas and a founder of the Rose Law Firm, in Little Rock. Maybe that rings some bells if you remember the 1990s. But really, we’re just using him as a place marker to find the quirky librarian. Full instructions in audio story.

Chester Ashley

Let's meet the famous Marine Band Leader J.P. Sousa! Start with your back to the Chapel door. Sousa's family plot is ahead on the left. (See the curved grey bench? Just before the tree-lined path?) I'll play you some Sousa tunes and tell you about his amazing life. Wait until you hear what his birthday celebration sounds like!

Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Philip_Sousa,_Congressional_Cemetery.jpg">"John Philip Sousa, Congressional Cemetery"</a> by&nbsp;<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Mike_Peel" title="User:Mike Peel">Mike Peel</a>&nbsp;is licensed under&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>

John Philip Sousa

Before you is the tallest monument in the cemetery, a white pillar topped by a statue of a woman, the image of grief. It commemorates a hot June day in the final year of the Civil War. Twenty-one women, many of them Irish immigrants alone in America, died in a terrible blaze. What followed was the largest outpouring of grief the young city had ever seen. But within a year, the tragedy that had seared the soul of Washington was all but forgotten. I've enlisted journalist Mel Antonen to read you dramatic newspaper accounts from the day.&nbsp;

Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DC_arsenal_cenotaph.JPG">"C arsenal cenotaph"</a> by&nbsp;<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Smallbones" title="User:Smallbones">Smallbones</a>&nbsp;is licensed under&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en">CC0 1.0</a>

The Arsenal Fire

To find Hickman, first find the Coumbe family pillar: Stand facing the lady atop the Arsenal monument.&nbsp;Look ahead and to the right, roughly the 2 o’clock position. See the tall black column with the&nbsp;draped urn&nbsp;on top, about 100&nbsp;feet away? Go there, then&nbsp;face the side that includes "Emma G." Coumbe.&nbsp;Now, turn to your right. Do you see a worn marble headstone a yard or so away? It's a simple tablet, hip-high and a little mossy. Go around to the other side to read the name: R.S. Hickman. Here lies a 19th century grifter, known as Beau Hickman, Prince of Bummers. Professional tour&nbsp;guide Robert Pohl will tell you about Hickman's ignominious end and the mechanics of grave robbing.

Beau Hickman

Brady was a pioneer in portraiture and photojournalim, and for years he was a successful entrepreneur. You are very likely carrying one of his images in your pocket right now. He deserved a better end than the one he got. To find his gravesite from the brick path, look for a large black stone that says "Linkins." It's 4 or 5 feet tall and rectangular. Turn in front of it, and walk down the row until you see Brady's stone. (There's a modern brass sign on a metal stand next to it.) In the audio portion, I'll tell you what became of him.

Mathew Brady

The great William Thornton, designer of the U.S. Capitol and would-be resurrector of George Washington, speaks for himself during Soul Stroll 2015. Soul Stroll is a nighttime tour of Congressional Cemetery in October. Costumed re-enactors meet you&nbsp;at their graves to&nbsp;tell their stories. Hear Mark Maloy as he channels the good doctor,&nbsp;explaining his bright -- and creepy --&nbsp;ideas.

Dr. Wm. Thornton

John Edgar Hoover was born and raised here on Capitol Hill. As director of the FBI from 1924 until his death, Hoover was a strong man when the nation felt low, but his authoritarianism rubbed America the wrong way in the last decade of his life. And why was he so tight with his deputy, Clyde Tolson?

J. Edgar Hoover

Leonard Matlovich, a decorated airman, kept his orientation hidden so he could continue to wear the uniform. Then one day he said "no more." He designed this headstone&nbsp;himself. He had a story to tell with it.

Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Matlovich.Leonard.gravesite.with.wreath.jpg">"Matlovich.Leonard.gravesite.with.wreath"</a> by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/67540644@N08" rel="nofollow">A J Lopp</a>&nbsp;is licensed under&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en">CC BY 2.0</a>

&nbsp;

Leonard Matlovich

The fun of Congressional Cemetery isn't the&nbsp;dead congressmen. The people&nbsp;buried here include&nbsp;D.C. scallywags, civil rights heroes, and at least one man killed by a tiger. As they say: "You don’t have to be famous to be buried here -- just dead." You might find a festival, a foot race or an outdoor movie underway, and certainly dogs at play. Your guide is a public radio reporter and a dues-paying member of the cemetery's innovative dog-walking club. The cemetery is open dawn to dusk daily.&nbsp;

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Historic Congressional Cemetery: The Dead Tell the Best Stories

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Washington DC

Historic Congressional Cemetery: The Dead Tell the Best Stories

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