Virginia/DC Vacation - Richmond - Hollywood Cemetery

A lot of the charm of Richmond to me was the history.  The present city of Richmond was founded in 1737 and over the years has been the site of several notable events.  A trip to this historic city wouln't be complete without a trip to the Hollywood Cemetery.  Opened in 1849, designed to be like a rural garden and named for the numerous holly trees.

Entrance to the cemetery



One of many of the roads within the cemetery



View of the James River from the cemetery

Resting place of the only Confederate States President, Jefferson Davis

One of the many beautiful monuments

90 ft granite memorial to the more than 18,000 confederate soldiers buried in this cemetery

From the Confederate section

The Black Iron Dog

According to Richmond's Urban Legends, a black cast iron dog used to stand in front of a general store on Broad Street. Every day, a little girl would walk by the store and hug the dog or talk to it sweetly. The little girl died of scarlet fever and was buried at Hollywood Cemetery. Shortly after her death, the cast iron dog was moved to her grave because there was an iron shortage during the Civil War and the owners didn't want the dog to be melted down for weapons. Ever since then, stories have circulated that the dog protects the little girl's grave and that it moves around on her gravesite, that its eyes follow visitors around the park, and that its wild barks can be heard late at night.