Hollywood Cemetery

Located amid 135 acres of green valleys, and lush rolling hills, Hollywood Cemetery is bordered by the James River in the city of Richmond, Virginia. It is the final resting place for two American President, James Monroe and John Tyler; two Supreme Court Justices; 22 confederate Generals, amongst them – General J. E. B. Stuart, General George Pickett, and their families; and thousands of confederate soldiers and residents of Richmond. 

The famous Cemetery was designed in 1847 and began operating in 1849. One of the first things that struck me in the cemetery are the beautiful and stately lush trees, well maintained greens, which includes the beautiful and massive magnolia trees. The magnolia flowers are as big as a human head.

 

Driving through the cemetery, one notices the architectural beauty of thousands of markers, monuments, statues, buildings, fences and tombs. One can actually do a walking tour of the cemetery, a driving tour, and even a virtual tour.

 

We stopped at Stuart’s and Pickett’s graves. There was a bench by Pickett’s grave with a plaque honoring Michael Shaara, the writer of the book, The Killer Angels. The bench was given to the Pickett Society by actor, Stephen Lang, who played the role of Pickett in the movie, Gettysburg. Gettysburg was based on Shaara’s book and it revived interest in the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War.

 

Another photo op for me was a tall monument
made of stones, commemorating the Confederate
Dead. 

I have been to Hollywood Cemetery once before
and loved the tranquil surroundings. It is a peace-
ful place. To me, it represents another lesson rich
in history.