Hollywood Cemetery

     Hollywood Cemetery - established in 1849.  Named for the many holly trees that dot the landscape .
It's designed in a rural garden style with areas fenced in with seating for visits from family and friends. 
Several ghosts stories associated with Hollywood as with most cemetaries,  like the dog at the childs grave

The iron dog used to sit in front of a store in Richmond.   Children with the last name of Reese would go by  and play on it and pet it.  It was bought by I believe the grandfather who placed it here to save it from being melted down to make bullets when the Civil war broke.out   The dog marks the graves of Reeses children.   

You can see candy placed in the niche of the headstone

One story says the dog has chased away visitors from the childrens graves

(ghosteyes.com is where I took some info on hollywood cemetery)

lily of the valley - purity and innocence

crypt in side of hill

stained glass in crypt

fenced in family plot with seating

I

doors to crypts

  there is vampire legend about a Mr. W.W. Poole who was an accountant that died in the 1920's

who was buried in one of the crypts here.  

 There was a train tunnel collapse in the year 1925 in Church hill

A fireman was shoveling coal in the steam tank of a train , the tunnel caved and the tank ruptured which burnt the fireman Benjamin Mosby badly.   Burned horribly- with skin hanging  and  several teeth broken -running he made it to the opening of the tunnel in shock before the collapse,  he died at Grace hospital the next day.   It has been passed on that someone saw the burning man run to Pooles crypt and that is how th legend of the vampire  came about.    

 I have also heard that Pooles crypt has been broken into so many times(by satanic cult)  with his bones found in another area of the cemetary.   Also heard that he has been moved to another  cemetery because of the break ins.

 There are so many tales out there - who knows really

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Twenty five confederate generals are buried here .  Two are George Pickett and J.E.B Stuart

In 1869 a 90 foot granite pyramid was built as a memorial to more than  18,000 men of the confederate Army who are buried here.

It's been reported that  moans have been heard in the evening coming from the pyramid and that cold spots are felt.     This is a beautiful place,  well maintained and people everywhere - doesn't matter to me,  I want nothing to do with this place in the late afternoon.  

swords crossed - death in battle

Reports of being followed by the eyes of some of the statues here

After reading the haunted stories  and seeing the statues,  I guess the mind starts playing tricks

I never see or feel any of what the haunted tales tell - during the day anyway.

I am sure at late evening it looks scary with the shadows casts by the

statues and grave stones.

Beautiful monuments to the deceased - Lamb , innocence

Our Lady of Lourdes

The cemetary over looking the James River.  Symbolizing for some the River Jordan 

Lovely old iron fence

An earlier post I wrote about a woman who was visiting told me this was a whisper wall and

it does work,  my friend Carolyn sits on one end while I on the other whispered to each other and it carried our words to one another.

Till next time

Happy Haunts on  Halloween

Betsy