Exploring Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia

Exploring Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia, can be an inspiring way to begin or conclude your own personal or family remembrance of the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War during 2011. As a former U. S. history teacher and lifelong history enthusiast, I have often found surprising treasures awaiting discovery in the simple final resting places of our American heroes and/or villains. For those who live in Virginia or who plan to visit that Commonwealth during the Civil War Sesquicentennial, exploring Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond Virginia can add a solemn and reflective note to your commemorative experiences.

Unlike the Gettysburg National Cemetery, Pennsylvania or Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia did not begin as a final resting place for members of the armed services. Founded in 1847 Hollywood Cemetery was created according to its own mission statement to serve the community by " providing a place for the dignified burial and constant commemoration of loved ones". In the years that followed, many were brought to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond Virginia from all different walks of life. But over time, the importance of many of the deceased buried here was sufficient to warrant placing Hollywood Cemetery on the National Register of Historic Places.

If you decide to visit Hollywood Cemetery Richmond, Virginia to celebrate the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War make sure to set aside time to take notice of the non-civil war figures who also are at rest here. For example there are two former Presidents of the United States. James Munroe, the fifth President of the United States and John Tyler, the tenth President of the United States rest in peace here. There graves are appropriately marked with large but tasteful monuments to their lives and their passing.

At Hollywood Cemetery Richmond, Virginia a walking tour can also reveal the presence of graves that hold the remains of 6 men who served Virginia in the governor's chair. From the judiciary branch of the national government lying in rest at Hollywood Cemetery are 2 former members of the Supreme Court of the United States.

If you are exploring Hollywood Cemetery,Richmond, Virginia as part of your own commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War you will not be disappointed by the host of Confederate soldiers who have found here their final resting place.

You will of course be interested in the graves, well marked by stone monuments, of such well known Confederate States of America leaders as President Jefferson Davis and military leaders J.E.B. Stuart and
General Fitzhugh Lee who also served Virginia after the war as its Governor.

Towering over nearby grave markers it will be almost impossible for you to miss and to be moved by "The Pyramid" . Standing at 90 feet tall, the Pyramid was erected to honor, not just those who served in prominent positions of leadership in the Civil War, but also all those who died in fighting for the Southern cause or way of life. These men included great leaders but also common soldiers.

According to the Hollywood Cemetery website, there are some 18,000 Confederate war dead lying here, including large numbers of fallen soldiers once interred at Gettysburg and later transferred for burial at Hollywood Cemetery in Virginia.

There are thousands of cemeteries in the United States but few provide visitors with organized walking tours Monday - Saturday, April through October beginning at 10 a.m. This service provided by Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond is testimony itself to the significance of the this burial ground and the continued interest in and reverence for those who lie here eternally.

Obviously Hollywood Cemetery is a place that is meant for those willing to spend time giving serious thought to the thousands of individual stories that came to an end here. Their lives and those lost by Union solders are among the great sacrifices that have been made so that we live in the nation we share today. Visiting the battle sites can be exciting for sure, but a few hours spent at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond will definitely add to a full appreciation of what the Civil War was all about

Sources: http://www.hollywoodcemetery.org