Virginia/DC Vacation - Berkeley Plantation

Welcome to the Berkeley Plantation, such a lovely place.  On December 4, 1619 a group of 38 English settlers arrived on the banks of the James River and settled in the new land grant of Berkeley Hundred.  This would have been the view of the waters edge.

The group's charter requited that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a "day of thanksgiving" to God.  On that first day, Captain John Woodleaf held the service of thanksgiving on this spot.

During the Indian Massacre of 1622, nine of the settlers at Berkely Hundred were killed and the rest of the colonists moved to more secure areas.  After several years the three story Georgian mansion was built using bricks fired on the property.

The view from the road

The kitchen

The view standing inside the main home and looking towards the river

The grounds

The Bekeley Plantation has been the ancestral home of two US presidents and the home of firsts, the first official Thanksgiving, the first time the Army bugle call "Taps" was played in 1862 and the first bourbon whiskey was distilled here by an Episcopal priest.

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.