Take a moment to imagine the types of places tourists might like to visit least during a vacation. For most travelers, graveyards probably fall somewhere near the bottom of their lists.
However, Richmond, Virginia’s Hollywood Cemetery is no ordinary gravesite. Due to its garden-like setting and collection of inspirational leaders from all walks of life, the cemetery is an ideal place for strolling and reflection.
Nestled along the rolling banks of the winding James River, its horizon trimmed with a view of the downtown skyline, Hollywood Cemetery offers some of the most scenic views of the City of Richmond. This pastoral retreat, footsteps from bustling downtown businesses, flouted the conventional grid-like gravesite layout common in the mid-1800s. Instead, the cemetery’s thoughtful designer, John Notman, arranged the site’s graves and paths to wind romantically across the property. As a result, Hollywood Cemetery, so named for the holly trees prevalent on its grounds, evokes a Victorian serenity.
Political Civil War Heroes Buried in Hollywood Cemetery
The cemetery's grounds hold the remains of more than 75,000 civilians and war heroes, including two United States presidents, James Monroe and John Tyler. It is also home to numerous Civil War leaders, including Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and twenty-five Confederate generals, including General George Pickett and General J.E.B. Stuart—more than any other cemetery in the nation.
Hollywood Cemetery is also the final resting place for more than 18,000 Confederate soldiers, including at least 2,000 unknown soldiers removed from the Gettysburg battlefield. A ninety-foot tall stone monument in the shape of a pyramid commemorates the sacrifices of these Confederate soldiers.
Other Notable Interments
Not limited to just political and military leaders, Hollywood Cemetery is also the gravesite of many writers, philanthropists, scientists, and other notable Virginians, including:
- Artist, poet, and writer Benjamin Barrett
- Fantasy fiction novelist James Branch Cabell
- Tobacco businessman and philanthropist Lewis Ginter
- Journalist and historian Douglass Southall Freeman
- Pulitzer-Prize winning novelist Ellen Glasgow
- Novelist and woman's rights advocate Mary Johnson
- Pharmacist and musician Polk Miller
- Railway industrialist William Nelson Page
- United States Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr., and
- Sculptor Edward Valentine.
Visiting the Cemetery
The cemetery is open to the public daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Its hours are extended until 6:00 p.m. during Daylight Savings Time.) There is no charge for admission to the cemetery.
The cemetery is located in downtown Richmond at the north end of the Robert E. Lee Bridge at 412 Cherry Street.
For more information, contact the cemetery at 804-648-6501 or visit the informative Hollywood Cemetery website.
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