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Presidential Grave Hunter: One Kid's Quest to Visit the Tombs of Every President and Vice President
In 2003, nine-year-old presidential enthusiast Kurt Deion presented his father with an audacious would he help him follow in the footsteps of historian Richard Norton Smith and C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb by taking him to visit the final resting place of each dead U.S. president? He got all he asked for, and more.
Deion's journey to these tombs, and from elementary school neophyte to college history major, was unorthodox. With his zany, boundary-pushing father at the wheel, the straight-laced youngster found himself sneaking a camera past Secret Service agents, purposely locked in a cemetery enclosed with barbed wire, and handcuffed to the former Dallas homicide detective who was tethered to alleged JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald when he was shot by Jack Ruby. Most daringly, he (reluctantly) gained entry to a vice president's private family burial ground in order to possibly become the lone person to have visited each presidential and vice presidential grave, collectively.
In this history-driven memoir, Deion reconstructs his decade-long, cross-country quest and analyzes the evolution of his perspective on the commanders-in-chief and what it means to visit a cemetery.
Deion's journey to these tombs, and from elementary school neophyte to college history major, was unorthodox. With his zany, boundary-pushing father at the wheel, the straight-laced youngster found himself sneaking a camera past Secret Service agents, purposely locked in a cemetery enclosed with barbed wire, and handcuffed to the former Dallas homicide detective who was tethered to alleged JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald when he was shot by Jack Ruby. Most daringly, he (reluctantly) gained entry to a vice president's private family burial ground in order to possibly become the lone person to have visited each presidential and vice presidential grave, collectively.
In this history-driven memoir, Deion reconstructs his decade-long, cross-country quest and analyzes the evolution of his perspective on the commanders-in-chief and what it means to visit a cemetery.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
250 pages, Paperback
Published May 9, 2023
6 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Kurt Deion
1 book9 followersKurt 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.
He currently works as an education specialist at Historic Congressional Cemetery and since 2023 has been a White House Historical Association next-gen leader.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 13, 2023
In Presidential Grave Hunter, Kurt Deion combines his wide-eyed boyhood obsession to visit every American president and vice-president’s grave with an accomplished scholarship of the public historian he became. Parts memoir, history, and madcap adventure, Presidential Grave Hunter offers a unique, informative, and entertaining lens into presidential history. From the solitude of Martin Van Buren’s Kinderhook tombstone to the national spotlight on C-SPAN, I enjoyed every page and every grave. As part of my own research, I’ve been to each president’s final resting place, but after reading Presidential Grave Hunter, I’m compelled to visit them all over again!
April 14, 2023
Witty, entertaining, and succinct, Kurt’s book is part travelogue, part memoir, part presidential catalogue. Perfect for historians, museum goers, fellow grave hunters, and anyone interested in American history.
July 24, 2023
Kurt Deion’s “Presidential Grave Hunter” is fun, well-written memoir of an offbeat adventure around America - my favorite kind of roadtrip. This book checks all the boxes for fans of road-trips, memoirs, quests and history (with some pop-culture tossed in for good measure). “Presidential Grave Hunter” has great word of mouth on my history-focused social feeds, and happily it lives up the hype. As someone with several unfinished history-based road-trip quests myself, reading Deion’s journey is also an inspiring tale of a successful quest!
Deion shares the story of an adventure hatched in childhood and chased over a decade with his dad to complete a visit to the grave of every president and, after bagging several VEEPs along the way, he expands it to include every vice presidential grave too. Deion shares amusing stories, small mishaps and comic mis-adventures along the way and also tells the tale of meeting a few still-living presidents and tracking down one very interesting history-adjacent person, who I know you’ve seen in a very famous photo but perhaps never heard his story until Deion delivers! Trips to Washington, Adams, Jefferson & Lincoln of course are all here, but even Grover Cleveland and Chester Arthur earn a couple of mentions!
If you’re a fan of “Assassination Vacation” (by Sarah Vowell) or “Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure” (by Matthew Algeo), I predict you’ll enjoy this breezy, well written, stunningly researched, fact-jammed, often amusing tale. While this is Deion’s first book, I do hope he embarks on new quests as a public historian and shares his insights on interpreting history in future books about further adventures! Based on this book, I will be ready to read anything from this promising new author.
Deion shares the story of an adventure hatched in childhood and chased over a decade with his dad to complete a visit to the grave of every president and, after bagging several VEEPs along the way, he expands it to include every vice presidential grave too. Deion shares amusing stories, small mishaps and comic mis-adventures along the way and also tells the tale of meeting a few still-living presidents and tracking down one very interesting history-adjacent person, who I know you’ve seen in a very famous photo but perhaps never heard his story until Deion delivers! Trips to Washington, Adams, Jefferson & Lincoln of course are all here, but even Grover Cleveland and Chester Arthur earn a couple of mentions!
If you’re a fan of “Assassination Vacation” (by Sarah Vowell) or “Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure” (by Matthew Algeo), I predict you’ll enjoy this breezy, well written, stunningly researched, fact-jammed, often amusing tale. While this is Deion’s first book, I do hope he embarks on new quests as a public historian and shares his insights on interpreting history in future books about further adventures! Based on this book, I will be ready to read anything from this promising new author.
May 11, 2023
An easy-to-read, informative book about one man's adventure to visit the gravesites of every US president and Vice-President. I first followed Kurt on Instagram (shoutout @kdgravehunter) a little over a year ago after stumbling onto his page. He has become one of my favorite follows as he posts his adventures visiting the graves of historical figures all across the US. As I have become very interested in history and visiting historical sites over the last few years, gravesites have been on my backburner when I think about visiting certain sites. However, this book has helped me to understand the significance of a grave and how it can help to tell the story of a president, as graves often reflect how the public felt about them at the time of their death. My appreciation for public and hands-on history has only gone up after reading this excellent memoir from Kurt. I highly recommend it to any history lover!
February 17, 2025
A wholesome story of what began as a child's goal and developed into a young adult's passion. Join Kurt Deion as he regales in his endeavors to visit the final resting places of every president and vice president - and test your knowledge along the way!
Kurt's unique way of teaching history through story is on display prominently througout this book, and his attention to detail hilariously borders on the fanatical. This book is well-researched, organized, and full of comedy.
Perhaps, though, its greatest attribute is heart. And not just the love for history and adventure that Kurt clearly possesses. Often accompanying Kurt on his adventures is his greatest cheerleader; his father. The book reads from Kurt's point of view but any parent will agree: there is a proud father who has no place he would rather be than front row, watching his son's dreams come true.
Kurt's unique way of teaching history through story is on display prominently througout this book, and his attention to detail hilariously borders on the fanatical. This book is well-researched, organized, and full of comedy.
Perhaps, though, its greatest attribute is heart. And not just the love for history and adventure that Kurt clearly possesses. Often accompanying Kurt on his adventures is his greatest cheerleader; his father. The book reads from Kurt's point of view but any parent will agree: there is a proud father who has no place he would rather be than front row, watching his son's dreams come true.
May 11, 2023
"Presidential Grave Hunter" provides an extraordinary look at American History that is at once highly unique and thoroughly captivating. It's a must read for every student of our nation's narrative and everyone who loves exceptional, unusual adventures. Kudos to the author on a great accomplishment!
July 12, 2023
Great Historical Read
As a former educator I enjoyed this book immensely. Kurt's adventure gave him an education that could not be replicated by any formal teaching. Hands on education, is indeed, the best. To pursue your passion should be everyone's goal.
As a former educator I enjoyed this book immensely. Kurt's adventure gave him an education that could not be replicated by any formal teaching. Hands on education, is indeed, the best. To pursue your passion should be everyone's goal.
May 15, 2023
Chases by lawnmower men, detours in the Batcave, and meetings with multiple presidents. All just part of the quest to visit every president and vice president grave. Kurt Deion had the ambitious dream as a kid to do this seemingly impossible task and through the help of docents, fallen trees, and an incredibly supportive family (more often than not travel companions too), Deion succeeded. Here, Deion details at length the journey that began as a boy and chronicles how his passion for history fueled him for years and continues to influence him to this day. This is an exemplary read, particularly for those who may not know about certain presidents but still want to hear stories about James Monroe’s “birdcage” or enslaved individuals buried at Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage. My favorite chapter was Deion’s trip to Harry S. Truman’s Presidential Library and Museum in which Deion emotionally describes the complexity and nuance offered in visiting a site which does not ask a visitor to paint a definitive portrait of a president, but allows for dialogue and disagreements to be shared freely. My only qualm with the book is that I wish it was actually longer. The emphasis is on the presidents, but with Deion also visiting vice presidents, I would have loved to read more stories about these trips as well. A lightning fast read for young and old history fans alike, Presidential Grave Hunter will make you appreciate not only who’s buried in Grant’s tomb (a trick question after all), but what each of these leaders’ final resting place has to say about them.
October 16, 2024
Presidential Grave Hunter: One kids quest to visit the tombs of every President and Vice President by Kurt Deion @kdgravehunter
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Absolutely loved this book 📚 ! Travel along with Kurt and his family across the US and meet Presidents, Vice Presidents, and many other memorable characters (mostly dead and sometimes living) in his boyhood quest to be the sole person to have visited the tombs of every President and VP. Not only is this book a journey of one’s passion, it is also a story that enshrines how important family can be in supporting a child’s interest and growth. As someone with similar interests in history and visiting historic sites and graves, it is great to see Kurt’s passion met with success and will certainly inspire many fellow history lovers to follow their passions. Well done 🙌!
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#bookreview #bookrecommendations #gravehunter #graves #president #presidentialhistory #history #ushistory #travel #bookstagram #readmorebooks
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Absolutely loved this book 📚 ! Travel along with Kurt and his family across the US and meet Presidents, Vice Presidents, and many other memorable characters (mostly dead and sometimes living) in his boyhood quest to be the sole person to have visited the tombs of every President and VP. Not only is this book a journey of one’s passion, it is also a story that enshrines how important family can be in supporting a child’s interest and growth. As someone with similar interests in history and visiting historic sites and graves, it is great to see Kurt’s passion met with success and will certainly inspire many fellow history lovers to follow their passions. Well done 🙌!
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#bookreview #bookrecommendations #gravehunter #graves #president #presidentialhistory #history #ushistory #travel #bookstagram #readmorebooks
December 8, 2023
I enjoy hearing about kids who love history, and I especially applaud their parents for cultivating this interest by taking them to historical sites. It’s one of the goals of my blog! One recent release that describes this so well is Kurt Deion’s book, Presidential Grave Hunter: One Kid’s Quest to Visit the Tombs of Every President and Vice President.
In this part memoir, part history travel nonfiction book, Kurt describes how he began to be interested in presidential history as an eight year old in 2003 and how actually being near these illustrious figures (even in a marble tomb!) brought them to life. His family made his quest a priority, and it speaks highly of his parents that they encouraged him to follow his dream. As a parent myself, it’s what I aim to do with my own kids’ dreams!
This book is such a fun read, especially as Kurt and his dad tackle getting locked in a cemetery and find a way to see the most private grave (Vice President Rockefeller). There are many adventures, near misses, and lots of hilarious events that make up his ultimately successful quest.
In this part memoir, part history travel nonfiction book, Kurt describes how he began to be interested in presidential history as an eight year old in 2003 and how actually being near these illustrious figures (even in a marble tomb!) brought them to life. His family made his quest a priority, and it speaks highly of his parents that they encouraged him to follow his dream. As a parent myself, it’s what I aim to do with my own kids’ dreams!
This book is such a fun read, especially as Kurt and his dad tackle getting locked in a cemetery and find a way to see the most private grave (Vice President Rockefeller). There are many adventures, near misses, and lots of hilarious events that make up his ultimately successful quest.
January 10, 2025
So, I was speeding through this so quickly that I decided I needed to set it aside. Then, with the death of Jimmy Carter, I remembered it and finished it right up. As someone who also likes to visit Presidential gravesite (33 visited, 7 to go as of 2024), I found Kurt's early obsession and stories of how his parents, especially his Dad, helped him to realize his goals really inspiring and entertaining. Really good read for any of my friends who've been forced to come along with me on my quests.
November 14, 2023
As a fellow Presidential Grave Hunter, this book has probably felt more relatable to me than any other book I’ve read in recent memory. It brought me back to when I was traveling the US with my own father, and touring the country to uncover the history of our American Presidents. Definitely a great read for anyone wanting to learn the amazing hobby of Tombstone Tourism!
September 21, 2024
Highly recommend.
September 5, 2023
Enthralling and Entertaining Exploration of U.S. History from a Unique Perspective
"Presidential Gravehunter" by Kurt Deion is a delightful and informative book that keeps the reader entertained throughout. With a perfect blend of fascinating historical insights and wacky personal anecdotes, Deion takes readers on a remarkable journey, visiting the final resting places of each president and vice president.
The author's passion for history and his dedication to his mission shine through on every page, offering readers an educational and engaging experience. Whether you are a history enthusiast or simply want to read a fun story about unconventional adventures, "Presidential Gravehunter" is a must-read.
On a personal note, I felt a real connection to this work as I have also visited the grave sites of each of the presidents and it brought back a lot of good memories and escapades of my own.
"Presidential Gravehunter" by Kurt Deion is a delightful and informative book that keeps the reader entertained throughout. With a perfect blend of fascinating historical insights and wacky personal anecdotes, Deion takes readers on a remarkable journey, visiting the final resting places of each president and vice president.
The author's passion for history and his dedication to his mission shine through on every page, offering readers an educational and engaging experience. Whether you are a history enthusiast or simply want to read a fun story about unconventional adventures, "Presidential Gravehunter" is a must-read.
On a personal note, I felt a real connection to this work as I have also visited the grave sites of each of the presidents and it brought back a lot of good memories and escapades of my own.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews