Blackie was a cocker spaniel mix who belonged to Mel Kornspan’s family when he was a child living in Washington, D.C. Blackie lived a dozen good years as a member of the family before passing away in 1956. Mel’s mother, Rebecca, arranged for her to be buried at Aspin Hill. Mel never forgot Blackie and keeps a tiny photo of her in a red frame to remember her by. Continue reading You Never Forget a Good Dog
It’s been an unusual summer for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that the pandemic, and the problems it causes is not over yet. However, I have three pieces of news related to the cemetery that may interest my readers. Continue reading Pet Cemetery News – Summer 2021
Here in Montgomery County, Maryland, we are being invaded by millions of periodical cicadas (from Brood X). Nowhere is safe, even Aspin Hill Memorial Park.
Continue reading Cicadas at the pet cemetery
The first known war dog buried at Aspin Hill Pet Cemetery was “Staff,” who fought with an unnamed American unit in World War I. He was wounded by German artillery, but French surgeons stitched him back together again. Two bullets remained embedded in his leg. His mate, “Fritzie,” also fought in the war. Staff died in 1925; Fritzie died six years later in 1931.1
“Aspin Hill Pet Cemetery: 100 Years of Pets, People, and the Stories Behind the Stones,” by Julianne Mangin. The Montgomery County Story, Fall 2020, vol. 63 no. 2. pp. 1-21.
Published by Montgomery History (formerly known as the Montgomery County Historical Society).
This is the most comprehensive history of the Aspin Hill Pet Cemetery to date. Print copies can be obtained from Montgomery History. This issue will be available in PDF once the next issue is published.
Aspin Hill Pet Cemetery: 100 Years of Pets, People, and the Stories Behind the Stones is a virtual talk that was given for the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, MD on September 26, 2020.
Two options for viewing:
Via Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=384987492907169
Via Crowdcast:
https://www.crowdcast.io/e/aspin-hill-pet-cemetery
This photograph, from 1926, shows the beginning of section 2 of Aspin Hill Pet Cemetery. The cornfield in the background is approximately where the intersection of Wendy Lane and Athania Street is now.
President Lyndon Baines Johnson had three of his dogs cremated at Aspin Hill Pet Cemetery during his years at the White House. These included his most famous dogs, beagles named “Him” and “Her.” They were litter mates who were born in on June 27, 1963.
Him and Her became famous after an incident during a press conference on April 27, 1964. President Johnson lifted “Him” by the ears, causing him to yelp. An Associated Press photographer was present and the photo was published the next day in the Washington Post. 1 People across the country were outraged at what they felt was President Johnson’s abuse of his dog. The furor died down eventually, as it became obvious that the president was a devoted dog lover (although he continued to believe it was okay to lift a beagle up by its ears). 2
Sadly, Him and Her both died young. “Her” died in on November 27, 1964 when she swallowed a stone. Surgeons tried to remove it, but she died on the operating table. “Him” died on June 15, 1966 after being run over by a car on the White House grounds. After their cremations at Aspin Hill, the remains of both dogs were sent to the LBJ Ranch in Texas for burial. 3
I was recently notified that I have been selected to receive an Excellence in Preservation award for the documentation of and advocacy for preservation of the Aspin Hill Pet Cemetery. The award will be presented at the 2019 Annual Montgomery County Awards for Preservation at a ceremony and reception on Saturday afternoon, March 14, 2020, at historic Grace United Methodist Church, 119 North Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg.
https://www.montgomerypreservation.org/2019-historic-preservation-awards/
If you would like to attend, please RSVP via email to awards@montgomerypreservation.org The event and reception are free, but donations are welcomed.
This is an old article on the history of the pet cemetery. For the latest, go to this page: https://petcemeterystories.net/aspin-hill-history/
Business boomed during the years that S. Alfred Nash owned the cemetery. He buried around 10,000 pets during the 13 years that he was there. Mr. Nash and his wife, Martha, were said to have had between 200 and 300 pets of their own while they lived at Aspin Hill. In addition to several dogs, they had ducks, peacocks, goats, a turkey, and even a Shetland pony. Continue reading Aspin Hill Memorial Park 1975 to the Present