The Angel of Hope ceremony in Hollywood Cemetery honors the many children who have passed away.
The ceremony will take place on Monday, December 6th at 6:00 p.m. at the Angel of Hope statues in the Idlewood section.
Please click here or more information.
Hollywood Cemetery has been doing some ground renovations is inviting folks to see and use their refurbished glade near their front entrance.
Photo by Bill Draper Photography
Join the experienced guides from The Valentine on a walking tour of Hollywood Cemetery next Thursday from 6:00 pm – 7:15 pm.
Purchase tickets here: https://thevalentine.org/event/highlights-of-hollywood-cemetery-walking-tour-6/
Word came over the weekend, but today other news outlets reported on enormous vandalism at Hollywood Cemetery- gravestones and markers toppled.
From WRIC news:
Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith held a news conference Monday morning to address vandalism over the weekend at the Hollywood Cemetery.
Chief Smith is asking the public for any information that could help their investigation of the damage to the historic cemetery. Smith said there are no security cameras in the area.
The vandalism happened in the President’s Circle of the historic cemetery, Chief Smith said. U.S. presidents James Monroe and John Tyler are buried there.
“This historical cemetery is the resting place for those who actually founded Richmond,” Smith said. “As well as some of the members of the Confederacy.”
Smith said the graves that were desecrated show no markings of the Confederacy. However, it would take some time to find out if there is a connection.
This photo was taken in Hollywood Cemetery, but it should apply everywhere right now. If you visit Oregon Hill or surrounding amenities, please wear a mask to keep the coronavirus from spreading. There have been some complaints about some local tour companies bringing people to see holiday lights into the neighborhood who are not following pandemic guidelines. This is happening elsewhere in the area as well and it is unacceptable. Please stay on Santa’s Nice List.
A favorite ginko tree in Hollywood Cemetery a few days ago before the rain.
The angel in middle left is from the tomb of the uncle of Grace Arents, Lewis Ginter.
The demonic doll Lily
While many Halloween activities have been cut due to COVID-19 concerns, Richmond Ghosts has made their popular ghost tour of Richmond, VA and Shockoe Bottom available across the country using GhostFlix, an on-demand streaming platform for haunted experiences across the country. Since launching in July, hundreds of viewers have tuned in to walk with local guides through over fifteen cities across the US to visit their most haunted locations and hear their most terrifying stories. Viewers no longer have to travel across the country to experience Richmond Ghosts tours, or explore other haunted destinations across the nation. Guests can type questions and hear answers from passionate local guides who lead the in-person tours or experience past ghost tours in the city of their choice on demand. Shows start at $13 for on-demand tours, or $15 for live streamed tours.
To watch a tour, viewers may visit www.rvaghosts.com/ghostflix.
Close to home,
“The haunted hot-spot in that area is Hollywood Cemetery. It’s a massive, 130-acre field that predates the Civil War by about 20 years. Entombed there are James Monroe, John Tyler, Jefferson Davis, and J.E.B. Stuart… all four of which are said to haunt the area. It also has a rather unique statue in the middle dedicated to the Confederate Dead; a rock pyramid built to commemorate the more than 18 thousand Confederate Soldiers buried nearby. There are countless tales of disembodied moans, screams, and even marching band music coming before dusk from the area around the statue.
Still, this being the 21st century, the most famous ghost, the one everyone talks about is a DOG. Two President, one faux-President, one Confederate General, an Army of phantom soldiers, and the one that takes the spotlight is a dog. The story goes that on February 1862, a two-year-old named Florence died of Scarlet Fever. Her father or a shopkeeper decided to position a black-cast iron Newfoundland dog on the right side of her grave. There are two theories as to why the dog was placed there. 1. A shopkeeper in town had a dog and Florence loved to play with it, hence he bequeathed the family the statue as a gift. 2. Her father was a pacifist, crafted the dog out of iron so it wouldn’t be used for bullets. Anyway, the dog statue has a tendency to move and howl at the night sky, and if someone comes near Florence’s grave with ill-intentions or is disrespectful near it, folks say the statue growls.
The final story concerns the Richmond Vampire or Ghost, folks aren’t exactly sure what it is. A foreigner died in Richmond, a man by the name of W.W.Poole, at the turn of the 20th century. Folks thought he had magical abilities, so, when he died they were certain that his spirit was haunting the cemetery. Others believed he never died because, well, he was a vampire. He’s one of the most famous ghosts in the Richmond area and many attribute the 1925 cave-in at Tunnel Hill to him.”
In Hollywood Cemetery, in front of the massive mausoleum for Lewis Ginter, is found a very modest sundial marker for his heir and niece, Miss Grace Arents.
On the sundial reads the words: “FROM SCHEME AND CREED THE LIGHTS GO OUT THE SAINTLY FACT SURVIVES THE BLESSED MASTER NONE CAN DOUBT REVEALED IN SAINTLY LIVES.”
Miss Grace Arents was the “patron saint” of Oregon Hill. With her inheritance from Lewis Ginter, she generously gave to the Oregon Hill neighborhood. Among her remarkable contributions are the St. Andrews Church, the William Byrd Community House, the Grace Arents School (now Open High) and the Grace Arents Housing on Cumberland St., perhaps the first and finest subsidized low-income housing in Richmond. (This Grace Arents Housing is now fenced off and the neighborhood is concerned that the future of this important part of her legacy is threatened.)
From Hollywood Cemetery’s Facebook page:
Hollywood Cemetery is closely monitoring the coronavirus situation and is following the protocols outlined by the CDC and the Virginia Department of Health. At this time, we are operating as follows:
The Grounds: The Grounds remain open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. However, the public restrooms are closed.
Public Programs: All public programs and tours are canceled through March 31. We have not yet canceled programs scheduled in April and beyond, but we will be closely monitoring the situation and will continue to cancel programs for as long as necessary.
Cemetery Office: The administration office is closed. Families and clients can contact us by phone at 804-648-8501 where we will be monitoring messages or email info@hollywoodcemetery.org for assistance with essential business activities, providing burial and cremation services.
Sales: Our staff is available, by appointment, to assist families with the purchase of burial space if a death has occurred or is imminent. Until further notice, we will not be scheduling pre-need sales appointments.
Burial Services: We will continue to perform all scheduled burials.
Please continue to check our Facebook page before planning a trip to the Cemetery. We will continue to update this page with announcements about any further changes to our daily operations.