Episode 246: Uncovering History with Kurt Deion: A Journey to Every Presidential Grave

Posted on Updated on by Maureen Taylor
 

Kurt Deion, author of Presidential Grave Hunter, shares his lifelong journey of visiting every U.S. president and vice president’s grave. Sparked by early interests in presidential history and inspired by books and family trips, Kurt’s unique quest began in childhood. His book combines memoir and historical facts, recounting adventures and discoveries at burial sites. Besides graves, Kurt has explored presidential libraries, capturing memories through photographs. He continues his historical pursuits, researching and visiting various historical figures, reflecting his deep passion for public and presidential history.

  •  Kurt’s fascination with presidential history began at age seven, spurred by the book So You Want to Be President?

  •  The idea to visit presidential graves was inspired by a C-SPAN book talk and familial support.

  •  Kurt has visited the graves of all U.S. presidents and vice presidents, documenting these visits in his book.

  •  He emphasizes the importance of photographs for documenting and sharing historical sites.

  •  Kurt continues to explore and document other historical figures, expanding beyond presidential history.

Episode 148: Early Photographs on Headstones with Elliot Conte

Episode 203: Recipes on Gravestones with Rosie Grant

About My Guest:

Kurt Deion is a public historian, author, guest speaker, and presidential expert for RoadsideAmerica.com. He holds an M.A. in history. At age 14 he launched kurtshistoricsites.com as a means to both document his travels and to encourage others to visit gravesites and engage in hands-on history. His website and his cemetery pilgrimages were the subject of a 2015 interview on the C-SPAN show “Q&A.”

He currently works as an education specialist at Historic Congressional Cemetery and since 2023 has been a White House Historical Association next-gen leader.

About Maureen Taylor:

Maureen Taylor, The Photo DetectiveÒhelps clients with photo related genealogical problems. Her pioneering work in historic photo research has earned her the title “the nation’s foremost historical photo detective” by The Wall Street Journal and appearances on The View, The Today Show, Pawn Stars, and others.   Learn more at Maureentaylor.com

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