Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Va

This cemetery has nothing to do with Hollywood, California.  Now, that's out of the way--This cemetery was named for the holly trees that abound in the area.  It is quite large, sits on the top of a hill in Richmond and overlooks the James River.

 

It was founded in 1849 and is the burial ground for 2 US presidents, 1 Confederacy president,  25 generals from the Civil War and 18,000 soldiers....


plus a few ghosts and one vampire.

I thought it was interesting that, nowhere on the tombstone for Jefferson Davis does it mention that he was  president of the Confederacy.  There were also a lot of weeds growing around his grave--hmm.  I think some of those guys wearing the Confederate flags on their t-shirts might want to volunteer some time to do some weeding for old Jeff.

You sure couldn't discount the view from the hilltop. 

One of three presidents to die on July 4th.  The other two died 5 years before James Monroe (5th president) and on the very same day--the 4th of July-- John Adams (2nd president) and Thomas Jefferson (3rd president). In an effort to even things out, Calvin Coolidge was born on the 4th of July.

The Monroe family crypt was pretty impressive. By the way, James Monroe was the father of the "Monroe Doctrine" that basically told England and every other European country with designs on the new world to 'back off'.

  

 

This rock pyramid was erected a few years after the war to commemorate the Confederate soldiers that were buried there.

 

 

I really do not understand the love affair we have for weapons...cannons, guns, rocket launchers, bombs, and on and on.  Why is that cannon in the graveyard overlooking 18 thousand graves? Just asking.

I like this statue much better.

I finally found John Tyler's grave then got a terrible picture of it.  He was our 10th president and ended up supporting the Confederacy during the war. Other than that I know nothing about him.

Finally, time to leave Richmond and head east toward the mountains.