Hollywood Cemetery is a large, sprawling cemetery located next to Richmond, Virginia's Oregon Hill neighborhood at 412 South Cherry Street. Characterized by rolling hills and winding paths overlooking the James River, it is the resting place of two United States Presidents, James Monroe and John Tyler, as well as the only Confederate States President, Jefferson Davis. It is also the resting place of 28 Confederate generals, more than any other cemetery in the country; these include George Pickett and J.E.B. Stuart.
History
Legends of Hollywood Cemetery - The common myths and legends of Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA.
The land that Hollywood Cemetery currently stands on was once part of William Byrd III's estate. Later, it was owned by the Harvie family and was known as "Harvie's Woods." William H. Haxall was one of the original founders of Hollywood Cemetery. In the spring of 1847, two citizens of Richmond, Joshua J. Fry and William H. Haxall, while on a visit to Boston, visited Mount Auburn, a beautiful cemetery near that city. They were impressed by the solemn grandeur of the place and resolved that they would, on their return to Richmond, propose the establishment of a rural cemetery near the city. It was through their original efforts and the subsequent cooperation of local citizens that Hollywood Cemetery was created. On June 3, 1847, Haxall, Fry, William Mitchell Jr., and Isaac Davenport Sr. purchased from Lewis E. Harvie, who sold under a deed of trust from Jacqueline B. Harvie for the sum of $4,075, a certain portion of the lots or parcels of land in the town of Sydney, in the County of Henrico, together with "the privileges and appurtenances to the belonging, which said portion is adjoining to Clarkes Spring and contains by survey forty-two acres, three roods, but of which one rood, known as Harvie's rood, or graveyard, with free ingress and egress to the said graveyard is reserved." This purchase was made with the design of establishing a rural cemetery.,
In the late 1840s, William Haxall, William Mitchell Jr. and Joshua Fry hired John Notman (architect of Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia) to design the cemetery in the rural garden style. Its name, "Hollywood," came from the holly trees dotting the hills of the property. Oliver P. Baldwin delivered the dedication address in 1849.
James Monroe was reinterred from New York City to the "President's Circle" section of Hollywood cemetery on July 4, 1858 due to the efforts of Governor Henry A. Wise.
In 1869, a 90-foot (27Â m) high granite pyramid was built as a memorial to the more than 18,000 enlisted men of the Confederate Army buried in the cemetery.
In 1890, a chapel was constructed next to the entrance of the cemetery. This chapel now serves as the cemetery office. In 1915, the original entrance was closed and the present one was opened to better facilitate cars.
Hollywood Cemetery is one of Richmond's major tourist attractions. There are many local legends surrounding certain tombs and grave sites in the cemetery, including one about a little girl and the black iron statue of a dog standing watch over her grave. Other notable legends rely on ghosts haunting the many mausoleums. One of the most well-known of these is the legend of the Richmond Vampire.
A place rich in history, legend, and gothic landscape, Hollywood Cemetery is also frequented by many of the local students attending Virginia Commonwealth University.
There are two very good histories of Hollywood Cemetery:
John O. Peters, Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery (2010). Mary H. Mitchell, Hollywood Cemetery (1999).
List of notable interments and their families
(Note: This is a partial list.)
Use the following alphabetical links to find someone.
A
- Alden Aaroe (1918â€"1993), broadcast journalist
- Carl William Ackerman (1890-1970), American journalist, author and educational administrator, the first dean of the Columbia School of Journalism
- Otway Allen (1851-1911), real estate developer, developer of Monument Avenue
- Joseph R. Anderson (1813â€"1892), American civil engineer, industrialist, soldier
- T. Coleman Andrews (1899-1983), Commissioner of Internal Revenue, presidential candidate of the Constitution Party in 1956
- James J. Archer (1817â€"1864), Confederate General, American Civil War
- Grace Evelyn Arents (1848â€"1926), philanthropist, niece of Lewis Ginter
B
- William Barret (1786â€"1871), American businessman, tobacco manufacturer considered wealthiest man in Richmond
- Benjamin Barrett, Artist, poet, writer
- Frances Hayne Beall (ca. 1820â€"?), wife of Lloyd James Beall, daughter of South Carolina Senator Arthur Peronneau Hayne
- Lloyd James Beall (1808â€"1887), American military officer and paymaster of U.S. Army, Colonel Commandant of the Confederate States Marine Corps for the entire length of the War
- Edyth Gertrude Carter Beveridge (1862-1927), Journalist, photojournalist
- Frederic W. Boatwright (1868â€"1951), President of the University of Richmond (1895â€"1946)
- Kate Langley Bosher (1865-1932), Author, suffragette
- Thomas Alexander Brander (1839-1900), Confederate officer, leader of the United Confederate Veterans
- John Fulmer Bright (1877-1953), American politician, physician
- William W. Brock Jr. (1912â€"2003), Brigadier General: World War II, Principal of Richmond's famed Thomas Jefferson High School for 18 years
- John M. Brockenbrough (1830â€"1892), Confederate Army colonel and brigade commander at Gettysburg
- Dave Brockie (1963â€"2014) Musician, painter, author, and actor. Brockie portrayed Oderus Urungus, the lead singer of the Metal band Gwar
- Benjamin Thomas Brockman (1831-1864), Merchant and Confederate officer
- Charles Bruce (1826-1896), American businessman, builder of Staunton Hill, father of Charles Morelle Bruce and United States Senator William Cabell Bruce
C
- James Branch Cabell (1879â€"1958), American fantasy fiction novelist.
- James E. Cannon (1873â€"1942), Virginia state senator (1914â€"1923).
- John Samuels Caskie (1821â€"1869), U.S. Congressman (1851â€"1859).
- Ralph T. Catterall (1897â€"1978), judge, Virginia State Corporation Commission (1949â€"1973).
- Robert H. Chilton (1815â€"1879), US Army Officer, Confederate General, American Civil War.
- Philip St. George Cocke (1809â€"1861), Confederate General, American Civil War
- Raleigh Edward Colston (1825â€"1896), Confederate Civil War general and VMI professor.
- Asbury Christian Compton (1929â€"2006), Justice, Supreme Court of Virginia (1974â€"2000).
- John Rogers Cooke (1833â€"1891), Confederate General, American Civil War.
- Edward Cooper (1873â€"1928), U.S. Congressman (1915â€"1919).
- Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry (1825â€"1903), U.S. and Confederate Congressman, Civil War veteran, and President of Howard College in Alabama and Richmond College in Virginia. His statue is in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.
D
- Virginius Dabney (1901â€"1995) Author, Journalist, Editor of The Richmond Times Dispatch from 1936 to 1969, Pulitzer Prize winner.
- Peter V. Daniel (1784â€"1860), U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice
- Robert Williams Daniel (1884â€"1940), Virginia State Senator and RMS Titanic survivor. Father of Robert Daniel.
- Robert Daniel (1936â€"2012), U.S. Representative from Virginia. Son of Robert Williams Daniel.
- Jefferson Davis (1808â€"1889), President of the Confederate States of America
- Varina Anne "Winnie" Davis (1864-1898), Author, daughter of Jefferson Davis
- Varina Howell Davis, (1826â€"1906), American author best known as First Lady of the CSA, wife of Jefferson Davis
- Stephen Potter De Mallie (1923â€"2008) U.S Navy officer, noted researcher and American textile author.
E
- Tazewell Ellett (1856â€"1914), U.S. Representative from Virginia
- Joseph Black Elliott, Sr. (1904â€"1988), Executive Vice-President/Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in charge of Consumer Product Division
- James Taylor Ellyson (1847â€"1919), Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (1906â€"1918)
F
- Douglas Southall Freeman (1886â€"1953), was an American journalist and historian. He was the author of definitive biographies of George Washington and Confederate General Robert E. Lee. There is also a local high school that bears his name.
G
- Richard B. Garnett (1817â€"1863), U.S. Army officer and Confederate general killed during Battle of Gettysburg
- Julian Vaughan Gary (1892â€"1973), Member United States Congress (1945â€"1965)
- Robert Atkinson Gibson (d. 1919), Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia (1902â€"1919).
- Lewis Ginter (1824â€"1897), American tobacco executive, philanthropist
- Ellen Glasgow (1873â€"1945), Pulitzer Prize winning American novelist
- James M. Glavé (1933â€"2005), Architect, Architectural Preservationist, Father of Architectural Adaptive-Reuse Movement.
- Thomas Christian Gordon, Jr. (1915â€"2003), Justice, Supreme Court of Virginia (1965â€"1972)
- Maria Hester (Monroe) Gouverneur (1804-1850), Daughter of President James Monroe
- Peachy Ridgway Grattan (1801â€"1881), lawyer and law reporter.
- William Green (1806â€"1880), lawyer and legal scholar.
- Charles Philip Gruchy (died 1921), Private, 3rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry â€" only British Commonwealth war grave in the cemetery.
- Walter Gwynn (1802-1882), Confederate Brigadier General
H
- James Dandridge Halyburton (1803â€"1879), U.S. and Confederate judge, Eastern District of Virginia (1843â€"1865)
- David Bullock Harris (1814-1864), Confederate Colonel
- John Harvie (1742â€"1807), American lawyer and builder, delegate to the Continental Congress, Signer of The Articles of Confederation
- William Wirt Henry (1831â€"1900), lawyer, member of the General Assembly of Va., president of the Am. Historical Association (1890â€"1891)
- Louis Shepard Herrink (1892â€"1965), lawyer and law teacher
- Henry Heth (1825â€"1899), U.S. Army officer and Confederate general, participated at the Battle of Gettysburg
- Ambrose Powell Hill, Jr. (1825-1865), Confederate General
- Eppa Hunton (1822â€"1908), U.S. Representative and Senator, Confederate brigadier general
I
- John D. Imboden (1823â€"1895), lawyer, teacher, Virginia legislator, Confederate cavalry general and partisan fighter
J
- Edward Johnson (1816â€"1873), U.S. Army officer and Confederate general, American Civil War.
- Mary Johnston (1870â€"1936), American novelist and women's rights advocate.
- David Rumph Jones (1825â€"1863), U.S Army officer and Confederate General, American Civil War.
- Samuel Jones (1819â€"1887), U.S. Army, Confederate General, American Civil War.
K
- Wythe Leigh Kinsolving (1878â€"1964), Episcopal priest, writer, poet, political advocate.
L
- John Lamb (1840â€"1924), U.S. Congressman (1897â€"1913).
- Fitzhugh Lee (1835â€"1905), Confederate cavalry general, Governor of Virginia, diplomat, U.S. Army general in Spanishâ€"American War and the nephew of General Robert E. Lee.
- Thomas M. Logan (1840-1914), Confederate General
- James Lyons (1801-1882), American politician, Confederate congressman
M
- Hunter McGuire (1835â€"1900), Confederate Army surgeon who amputated General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's arm after Jackson was mistakenly shot by Confederate soldiers at Chancellorsville . (Despite McGuire's efforts, Jackson later died of pneumonia.) After the war, McGuire founded the Virginia College of Medicine, and was president of the American Medical Association.
- Angus William McDonald (1799â€"1864), American military officer and lawyer in the U.S. state of Virginia and colonel in the Confederate States Army
- Walter Scott McNeill (1875â€"1930), law teacher.
- David Gregg McIntosh (1836-1916), Lawyer, Confederate officer
- John Marshall (1823â€"1862), editor of the Jackson Mississippian and Austin Star-Gazette. Appointed a Colonel in the Texas Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, he was killed in action at the Battle of Gaines Mill.
- John Young Mason (1799â€"1859), U.S. Secretary of the Navy (1844â€"1845, 1846â€"1849), U.S. Attorney General (1845â€"1846).
- Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806â€"1873), World Renown American oceanographer, scientist, author, and educator. First superintendent of the U.S. Navy Observatory.
- William Mayo (ca. 1685â€"1744), Colonial civil engineer
- David J. Mays (1896â€"1971) author and lawyer
- Robert Merhige (1919-2005), Federal judge
- John Lucas Miller (1831-1864), Attorney, Confederate colonel
- Polk Miller (1844â€"1913), American pharmacist and musician.
- Willis Dance Miller (1893â€"1960), Justice, Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals (1947â€"1960).
- John K. Mitchell,(1811â€"1889), Confederate Navy commodore during the American Civil War, see USS Alpha (1864)
- Samuel Phillips Mitchell (1815-1866), merchant and silversmith, Mitchell & Tyler Silver Company, supplier of Confederate Army, younger brother of William Mitchell, Jr.
- William Mitchell, Jr. (1795-1852), one of the original purchasers of land for Hollywood Cemetery, merchant and silversmith, Taft & Mitchell before establishing his own silversmith business that he grew to be largest in Virginia and eventually became Mitchell & Tyler.
- James Monroe (1758â€"1831), fifth President of the United States
- Elizabeth Kortright Monroe (1768â€"1830), U.S. First Lady, wife of James Monroe
- Richard Channing Moore (1762â€"1841), Second Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia (1814â€"1841)
- Samuel P. Moore (1813-1889), Confederate Surgeon General
- Eileen Bridget McCarthy Mott (1950â€"2013) Active in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond.
- Mary-Cooke Branch Munford (1865â€"1938), civic leader.
O
- Charles Triplett O'Ferrall (1840â€"1905), Governor of Virginia (1894â€"1898)
- Robert Ould (1820-1882), Attorney, Confederate official
P
- Emma Gilham Page (1855â€"1933), American wife of William Nelson Page
- Mann Page (1835â€"1904) Grand Master of Masons of Virginia 1894, American Civil War soldier, Co. F. 21st Virginia Infantry
- William Nelson Page (1854â€"1932), American civil engineer, railway industrialist, co-founder of the Virginian Railway
- William Henry Palmer (1835-1926), Confederate officer
- Sallie Partington (1834-1907), Actress
- John Pegram (1832â€"1865), U.S. Army officer, Confederate Army brigadier general
- William Ransom Johnson Pegram (1841â€"1865), U.S. Army officer, Confederate Army colonel
- Parke D. Pendleton (1932â€"2010), Entertainer, Renowned expert on Richmond society, Accountant
- George Pickett (1825â€"1875), U.S. Army officer, Confederate Army general, participated in Battle of Gettysburg
- LaSalle Corbell Pickett (1843â€"1931), author, wife of George Pickett
- William Swan Plumer (1802â€"1880), Presbyterian clergyman, educator and author
- Frederick Gresham Pollard (1918â€"2003), Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 1966 to 1970
- John Garland Pollard (1871â€"1937), Governor of Virginia from 1930 to 1934
- Robert Nelson Pollard (1880â€"1954), Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia from 1936 to 1954.
- William Wortham Pool (1842â€"1922), American bookkeeper. His burial tomb became associated with the Richmond Vampire
- John Powell (1882â€"1963), Composer, ethnomusicologist and segregationist
- Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr. (1907â€"1998), U.S. Supreme Court justice
R
- John Randolph (1773â€"1833), American politician, leader in Congress from Virginia
- William Francis Rhea (1858â€"1931), Virginia lawyer, judge, and U.S. Congressman
- Dr. William Rickman (1731â€"1783), Director of hospitals for the Continental Army of Virginia. Devoted husband to the daughter of President Benjamin Harrison, Miss Elizabeth Harrison.
- Conway Robinson (1805â€"1884), lawyer and legal scholar.
- Henry W. Rountree (1850-1928), businessman, civil leader, founder of H.W. Rountree & Bros. Trunk & Bag Co.
- Hilton Rufty (1909â€"1974), pianist, composer, teacher
- Edward H. Russell (1869-1956), first President of Mary Washington College (now University of Mary Washington)
S
- Dave Edward Satterfield, Jr. (1894â€"1946), U.S. congressman 1937â€"1946.
- Conrad Frederick Sauer (1866â€"1927), founder of the C. F. Sauer Company
- James Benjamin Sclater Jr. (1847â€"1882), One of the founders of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity
- Mary Wingfield Scott (1895â€"1983), historic preservationist.
- James Alexander Seddon (1815â€"1880), U.S. congressman (1845â€"1851); Confederate Secretary of War.
- William Alexander Smith (1828â€"1888), U.S. congressman from North Carolina (1873â€"1875).
- William "Extra Billy" Smith (1797â€"1887), two-time governor of Virginia, Confederate general
- Harold Fleming Snead (1903â€"1987), Justice, Supreme Court of Virginia (1957â€"1974)
- William E. Starke (1814â€"1862), Confederate general killed at the Battle of Antietam
- Walter Husted Stevens (1827â€"1867), U.S. Army lieutenant, C.S.A general.
- Isaac M. St. John (1827â€"1880), Confederate General, American Civil War.
- J. E. B. Stuart (1833â€"1864), American soldier, Confederate Army general
- Claude Augustus Swanson (1862â€"1939), Governor of Virginia (1906â€"1910), U.S. Secretary of the Navy (1933â€"1939)
T
- John Banister Tabb (1845â€"1909), poet and priest.
- William Elam Tanner (1836 - 1898), businessman.
- William R. Terry (1827â€"1897), C.S.A general, American Civil War.
- John Randolph Tucker (1879â€"1954), lawyer and civic leader.
- Edna Henry Lee Turpin (1867â€"1952), author.
- David Gardiner Tyler (1846â€"1927), American Democratic politician, U.S. congressmanand the fourth son of John Tyler, the tenth President of the United States.
- John Tyler (1790â€"1862), tenth President of the United States, a delegate to the Provisional Confederate Congress in 1861, and elected to the House of Representatives of the Confederate Congress.
- Julia Gardiner Tyler (1820â€"1889), U.S. First Lady, wife of John Tyler.
- Lyon Gardiner Tyler (1853â€"1935), historian, president of the College of William and Mary and the seventh son of President John Tyler.
V
- Edward Valentine (1838â€"1930), American sculptor
W
- Edmund Waddill, Jr. (1855â€"1931), U.S. Congressman (1889â€"1891); U.S. judge Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (1921â€"1931).
- Reuben Lindsay Walker (1827â€"1890), Confederate Army general.
- Alexander Wilbourne Weddell (1876â€"1948), U.S. Ambassador to Argentina (1933â€"1939) and Spain (1939â€"1942).
- Beverly R. Wellford (1797â€"1870), Sixth President of the American Medical Association.
- Louis O. Wendenburg (1861â€"1934), Member of the Senate of Virginia (1912â€"1920).
- John Baker White (1794â€"1862), American military officer, lawyer, civil servant, and Clerk of Court for Hampshire County, Virginia (1815â€"1861).
- Francis McNeece Whittle (1823â€"1902), Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia (1876â€"1902).
- John A. Wilcox (1819â€"1864), U.S. congressman (1851â€"1853); Confederate congressman.
- Channing Moore Williams (1829â€"1910), Missionary Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of China and Japan.
- Richard Leroy Williams (1923â€"2011), U.S. district court judge Eastern District of Virginia (1980â€"2011).
- George Douglas Wise (1831â€"1908), U.S. congressman (1881â€"1895).
- Henry A. Wise (1806â€"1876), Governor of Virginia, Confederate Army general.
- John Sergeant Wise (1846â€"1913), U.S. congressman (1883â€"1885).
- Richard Alsop Wise (1843â€"1900), U.S. congressman (1897â€"1901).
- Serge Wolkonsky (1860-1937), Influential Russian Theatrical Worker, son of Mikhail Sergeevich.
Y
- Thomas Yates
Gallery
See also
Media related to Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia) at Wikimedia Commons
- List of cemeteries in the United States
- Oregon Hill
- William Byrd Community House
- St. Andrew's Church
- Tredeger Iron Works
- Oakwood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia)
References
External links
- Hollywood Cemetery Official Website
- Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
- Early 20th Century Views of Hollywood Cemetery, Rarely Seen Richmond Postcard Collection, VCU Libraries.
- James Monroe Tomb, Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Independent City, VA: 6 photos, 1 color transparency, 6 data pages, and 1 photo caption page at Historic American Buildings Survey
- List of Confederate Hospitals in Richmond, VA, during the Civil War