The church was given about 80 cemetery plots by a former member who had bought them as an investment. The church has owned them for about 20 years, and nobody has known how they might be sold. The members of the church will not need them. About 78 are available for sale. The plots are in section 12B of the George Washington Cemetery, 9500 Riggs Road, Adelphi, Maryland.
In 2002, three church members interviewed the cemetery manager and inspected the plots. Section 12B is a flat, open area near the center of the cemetery, at yet mostly unused. This section is designated to be free of upright headstones; only headstones flush with the lawn are allowed.
George Washington Cemetery is a large cemetery, about one-third filled with graves, active, and well-managed, and attractive. To reach it, drive north on New Hampshire Avenue to Adelphi Road, turn right, then after 1/2 mile turn left on Riggs Road. The entrance will be on the left.
The plots are standard size, about 36 by 90 inches. They are for sale at $875 each, which is a 45% saving from the cemetery's own price. The price for two is $1,600, or a 50% saving. For church members, the price is $500 per plot or $1000 for two.
A buyer of a plot needs to sign a deed transferring ownership, and an officer of the church needs to sign also. The cemetery charges a transfer fee of $120. In addition the buyer needs to negotiate with the cemetery management for whatever services he or she wants, such as buying a casket, digging a grave, or purchasing a headstone. If the owner buys any other services from the cemetery, the transfer fee is waived. The Takoma Park Presbyterian Church will not be involved in these services.
If the purchaser wants a plot with an upright headstone, the cemetery will negotiate a one-for-one trade for a plot in a section having upright headstones.
Takoma Park Presbyterian Church is located at 310 Tulip Avenue, Takoma Park, Maryland 20912. (Phone: 301-270-5550 email: office@takomaparkpc.org). The office of the cemetery can show anyone the plots, which are in lots 287 to 293, 306 to 311, all in section 12B.
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