Horizons: AAA Southern New England
One Teen’s Quest to Visit every Presidential Gravesite in America
Ever since he was in second grade *, Kurt Deion made it his goal to visit every important pres-
idential memorial site, including graves, museums, historic attractions and more.
by Kurt Deion
Somehow, I was able to muster enough strength to climb the steep hill. I was visibly shaking, and scared out of my mind. This particular night brought an eerie atmosphere to the cemetery, with heat lightning illuminating the stone eagle perched on the marble obelisk that marks former President Andrew Johnson’s grave. I was frightened to death, being all of 11 years old, yet there was nowhere else I would rather be. Scenes like this are all a part of the thrill of my favorite hobby: visiting presidential burial sites.
One of the reasons that I love my hobby, which was inspired by C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb’s grave-hunting tour, is that I get to learn about history while experiencing many unique and interesting places.
The tomb of James Garfield, for example, is a place like no other. The former president’s 180-foot tall monument, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is a structure that features menacing gargoyles, amazingly detailed murals and a giant statue of the fallen statesman. It is also the only building in the country where you can see the actual coffins of a president and first lady, as James and Lucretia Garfield’s caskets remain on display in the monument’s crypt.
One of my favorite presidential memories took place in 2004, when I paid respect to the deceased Ronald Reagan in the Capitol rotunda. It was a trip that seemed doomed from the start, as my dad broke his arm on June 6, 2004, the day after the former president passed away. It was deemed impossible for him to drive eight hours south to Washington, D.C., so I didn’t think I would get to go.
However, several days later, my dad decided to tough it out and make the drive - despite his cumbersome cast. He picked me up from school and we made the long drive that got us there at 9 p.m. We waited in line in the sweltering heat and humidity for five hours, after which we were rewarded with one whole minute in the presence of the deceased former President Reagan. We were among the 104,684 mourners who filed past the coffin during the 34 hours that President Reagan lay in state.
To this date, I have visited 37 presidential tombs, leaving me one shy of completing my quest. In the near future, I hope to visit Lyndon Johnson’s final resting place on his ranch in Stonewall, Texas. Then, at the age of 15, not only will I likely be the youngest person ever to visit every president’s grave, but my hobby will come to its inevitable, yet temporary conclusion because, of course, this is one hobby that cannot stay dead forever.
However, my trips will not have to stop all together, because my presidential pilgrimages are not held to visiting burial sites alone. Along the way, there are usually other president-related sites at which to stop, whether it be a childhood home or a museum dedicated to a particular president, both of which could contain important articles pertaining to a leader’s life.
For instance, on our upcoming trip to Michigan *, we will encounter several interesting items in the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, including a cot that George Washington slept on during the American Revolution, the chair Abraham Lincoln was sitting in when he was shot in 1865 and the limousine in which John F. Kennedy took his fateful ride through Dealey Plaza.
Visiting these grave is a way for me to hold on to our nation’s past and, at the same time, pay homage to the leaders who influenced today’s society. I feel it is necessary to write about my experiences; otherwise these stories and artifacts would become lost in the annals of history. We would lose what made us who we are.
Kurt Deion is a 15-year-old high school student from Cranston, R.I. He is chronicling his adventures of visiting every presidential gravesite at www.kurtshistoricsites.com.
