The Who's Who of Hollywood Cemetery

We really love visiting old cemeteries and like to see if we can find the oldest headstones, different shapes and styles ~ also the ones that are very ornate.  We can spend several hours exploring some of the really great ones and this was one of the best.  I know it sounds kinds eerie but well we all have our dark sides... so off we went to visit Hollywood Cemetery.
First a little background:

Hollywood Cemetery is a large, sprawling cemetery located at 412 South Cherry Street in Richmond, Virginia.  Characterized by rolling hills and winding paths overlooking the James River, it is the resting place of two United States Presidents, James Monroe and John Tyler, as well as the only Confederate States President, Jefferson Davis. It is also the resting place of 25 Confederate generals, more than any other cemetery in the country. Included are George Pickett and J.E.B. Stuart.

James Monroe

John Tyler

Hollywood Cemetery was opened in 1849, constructed on land known as "Harvie's Woods" that was once owned by William Byrd II. It was designed in the rural garden style, with its name, "Hollywood," coming from the holly trees dotting the hills of the property.  In 1869, a 90-foot high granite pyramid was built as a memorial to the more than 18,000 enlisted men of the Confederate Army buried in the cemetery. 

Jefferson Davis

Hollywood Cemetery is one of Richmond's major tourist attractions. There are many local legends surrounding certain tombs and grave sites in the cemetery, including one about a little girl and the black iron statue of a dog standing watch over her grave. Other notable legends rely on ghosts haunting the many mausoleums. One of the most well-known of these is the legend of the Richmond Vampire.

A place rich in history, legend, and Gothic landscape.

Some of the many mausoleums

There are so many beautiful statues and headstones that I made a slide show of the pictures we took.  The Civil War was a GREAT tragedy but it is history and as I learn more and more about it the sadder I become for all the lives lost on both sides during the many battles. Rest in Peace brave men.

click on square on left to make video full screen

I sure hope you enjoyed our slide show of Hollywood Cemetery

Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy!!!

Magnolia Cemetery ~ DeFuniak Springs, Florida

Welcome to my newest followers: Susan at Beach Bummz , Meowmomma @ Cathouse Adventures and Rick & Elaine at E & R's Travels . Go visit them and see where they have been and what they are up to.



While in DeFuniak Springs we drove by the huge cemetery and just had to go in and visit. We love looking at headstones and seeing the very old ones. It is amazing how old some of the people lived way back when ~ and on the other side how many died so terribly young. I guess it had a lot to do with yellow fever and many other diseases that they had no cure for back then.





Also in our visits and research on old cemeteries we have found that many of the old headstones and the design on them have meaning. Also did you know that most headstones are suppose to face the east. That according to folk lore is because when the second coming of Jesus is suppose to happen....he is to come from the East. So when the person rises from the grave he will rise to see Jesus.
Visit here to see some really interesting information about headstones.



"Historic Magnolia Cemetery on Highway 90 East was established in 1884 and is the final resting place of many notable DeFuniak Citizens including Sidney J. Catts, the 20th Governor of the State of Florida, and Wallace Bruce, the first President of the Florida Chautauqua." (see precvious post about DeFuniak Springs) Magnolia Cemetery is located in the charming city of DeFuniak Springs in Walton County, Florida, USA





There are over 1,500 graves in this cemetery ~ it is huge!

Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy!!!

●☆● A Day of FUN! ●☆●

Again Thanks to my newest followers.... Debbie & Rod from Keeping up with the Kendals and MidLiFe CrUiSeR. Thank-you so much for becoming followers.

We loaded up the car with our daughter, grandsons and headed out for a day of exploring and fun. The very first stop was at the Aunt Thelma’s Gift Shop right here in the park. We looked at many items made by the Artisans who visit the park and teach or display their crafts

We then made a stop at the Riverside Cemetery in White Springs. Now some of you may think that is not a great place to explore and gruesome to visit but we LOVE going to them and looking at the different styles of headstones and the dates. It is amazing reading the very old headstones and seeing that a lot of people born in the 1800’s or before did in fact live a long time.

Soon we were on the road again and came upon some horses in a pasture that the boys and my daughter wanted to see… so we stopped and did the horse whisperer with them and then back on our adventure!

We rode and rode down the road and before long we came to an old church that we just had to pull into and explore. Falling Creek Methodist Church was built in the 1800’s as a log structure and in 1880 they replaced it with the present wood frame. When first built it was a Baptist Church but in 1866 it was change to a Methodist Church. The church continues regular church services today and is open for visitors to see.

Right behind the church was a cemetery which had headstones from the early 1800’s…

Just down the road a little further is one of Florida’s fabulous but little know waterfalls called Falling Creeks Falls. On a short walk is a spectacular root-beer colored cascade, which plummets more than 10 feet over a deep lip of limestone and flows away over limestone boulders at the bottom of a ravine. Falling Creek is the site of the first settlement in this area. It has a short boardwalk through lush forest which offers easy access to the falls. There is also a longer trail which extends your walk in the woods past rapids in the creek and where you can see more of the local vegetation in this area. Falling Creek is a hidden treasure which has old building to explore, nature trails, picnic tables and a children’s play area.

Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy!!!

~~~ What Can I Say ~~~

Elmwood Cemetery

We love to visit cemeteries where ever we travel... Sometimes they are full of old headstones and ornate ones... Some extravagant and some simple... Sometimes they are full of historic information and sometimes just really old headstones you can barely read. We have visited many cemeteries across this country of ours and the Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis has been added to our list. Elmwood Cemetery is one of the most beautiful historic cemeteries in the South. Established in 1852 as a rural garden cemetery, it has 80 acres of rolling grounds, flowering dogwoods, crepe myrtles, Magnolia trees, ancient towering trees, and impressive memorials among winding paths and lanes. Elmwood Cemetery, the Office Cottage, and the Entry Bridge are all on the National Register of Historic Places.

When you arrive there you can purchase (for a small fee) a CD which takes you through the cemetery and narrates the headstones and significant ares. There is an area where 1400 people who died from the yellow plague are buried, then an area where Confederate and a few Union soldiers are buried, A Chinese section, and even a section of people who donated their bodies to research and science.

The one impressive monuments that we always see in old cemeteries are tree trunks with Ivy climbing up them. They were scattered all through this cemetery. Now I have seen these before but I didn't know that it symbolized something. The Ivy signifies - Immortality, Friendship, Faithfulness and because it is an evergreen that clings while climbing, it signifies the need for protection. Since it grows quickly, it also symbolizes regeneration, sensuality and revelry. ... Tree trunk signifies - Brevity of life ... A life cut short.

We took over 200 pictures. It was hard to choose which ones to share with you... Please enjoy the pictures of Elmwood Cemetery

After we left the cemetery we headed over into old Memphis to see an area they called Victorian Village ... Originally in it's hey day it was called Millionaires Row...I was pretty excited about seeing these huge homes but when we got there I was a little disappointed that the homes were in such bad shape. They are magnificent homes but in need of a lot of work... I later found out that the city has cut the budget for the homes... Here are a few pictures

The Harsson-Goyer-Lee House (ca. 1841) was once the home of riverboat owner James Lee. This striking eclectic-style Victorian had been unused for years,

Woodruff-Fontaine House is a beautiful French Victorian mansion which was built in 1870 along "Millionaires Row" & was the home to two prominent Memphis families.

The Massey House (ca. 1847), was built for

Benjamin A. Massey, an early Memphis lawyer.

The Mallory - Neely house was built in 1852, the 25-room home contains stenciled and hand painted ceilings, parquet flooring, and stained-glass windows purchased at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. The Mallory-Neely House is the only historic property in Memphis to retain most of its original furnishings. Once opened to tour it is now closed to budget cuts.

I hope you enjoyed some more of the sites you can see when visiting Memphis

We have move on to Hot Springs, Ar and will have more pictures soon!

Until Later