Ghosts Of Hollywood Cemetery
The Hollywood Cemetery, one of Richmond, VA’s most visited tourist attractions, is a treasure trove of haunted history waiting to be discovered by anyone brave enough to enter. It has been the eternal resting place for many of Richmond’s sons and daughters since its creation in 1847. But it seems not all are at rest in this iconic burying ground that holds the bodies of a former US President and a vampire alike. Dig into this macabre tale of grotesque proportions with US Ghost Adventures.
Is The Hollywood Cemetery Haunted?
The spirits of Confederate soldiers, workers doomed to a treacherous fate, a ghost dog, and even a vampire are known to haunt the Hollywood Cemetery. For years, locals in Richmond, Virginia, have been laid to rest in the Hollywood Cemetery, a beautiful display of morbid fascination typical of the Victorian period.
The History of the Hollywood Cemetery
Hollywood Cemetery is a vast, sprawling graveyard next to Richmond, Virginia’s Oregon Hill community. Perfect for history buffs or more casual visitors to Richmond, it is defined by its quaint hills and idyllic trails, which command jaw-dropping views of the James River from its main entrance at 412 South Cherry Street.
Two United States Presidents, James Monroe and John Tyler, rest at the Hollywood Cemetery with the only Confederate States President, Jefferson Davis, and 28 of his generals, including Gettysburg veterans George Pickett and J.E.B. Stuart. 18,000 Confederate soldiers rest alongside them in this morbid sandbox.
William H. Haxall, one of Hollywood Cemetery’s creators, was visiting Boston Joshua J. Fry at the beginning of 1847. During their trip, they were stunned by the beauty of Mount Auburn Cemetery. Overwhelmed by its scope, they decided to return to Richmond to build a cemetery that would mimic that grandeur.
On June 3, 1847, Haxall, Fry, William Mitchell Jr., and Isaac Davenport Sr. bought a slice of 134 acres from Lewis E. Harvie. An architect, John Notman, was hired to outline the graveyard in the rural garden style to preserve the beauty of Harvie Woods, which the city loved so much. Its name, “Hollywood,” came from the holly trees dotting the slopes of the estate.
The cemetery was once part of William Byrd III’s 179,000-acre territory. His family helped found Virginia, so it seems only fitting that this man, who committed suicide in 1774 due to a heavy gambling debt and family issues, indirectly helped to create its most famous and spooky cemetery. The land eventually fell into the hands of John Harvie, a founding father and the fourth Mayor of Richmond. It was the family cemetery, renamed “Harvie’s Wood,” and became a scenic park for locals.
Confederate Ghosts Of Hollywood Cemetery
One of the most notable constructions in the graveyard is a 90-foot stone pyramid, planned and constructed by Charles Henry Dimmock. The colossal statue/memorial was built with blocks of James River granite. It was sanctified on November 8, 1869, as a memorial to the 18,000 Confederate War Dead that are buried nearby.
The corpses of these rebel warriors were carried from various battlegrounds, many from the bloodiest battle, Gettysburg. If you died on the battlefield wearing a gray Confederate uniform, chances were that your commanding officer would solicit a burial at Hollywood.
The monument took a year to assemble. The process was riddled with injuries, strange circumstances, and odd accidents. Workers were sure the task was cursed and that no good would come from its conception.
One of the most legendary accounts of the type of insanity surrounding the building of the pyramid was its suicide squad-like work detail. Inmates were released from local jailhouses and used as a form of manual labor cannon fodder. Many of these sinister souls, composed of horse thieves like Thomas Stanley and other dubious characters, ran the construction crews.
No one in the construction regiment wanted the job the day the capstone was supposed to be placed, so Stanley “volunteered” personally for the perilous task.
He was “transferred” two days later without indicating how, where, or when. Many believe he fell to his death and the transfer was merely a cover-up. There are countless stories of restless spirits whispering into visitors’ ears. Disembodied moans at dawn and dusk are accompanied by chilling bursts of ice-cold air that can be felt along the pyramid’s rear wall.
Some say this is the spirit of Thomas Stanley, but 18,000 soldiers are buried in the Hollywood Cemetery. It could be any one of them.
Ghost Dog
One of the most iconic ghosts of Hollywood Cemetery is a phantom pooch. In February of 1862, a two-year-old girl named Florence Rees perished of Scarlet Fever. The cause of Florence’s death was all too common in the 19th century.
Florence is the only little girl in the cemetery, and maybe in the United States, with a distinct statue of a dog watching over her grave. Florence’s guardian pooch is a life-sized, black cast iron Newfoundland dog. People from all over the world flock to the grave just to take a photo of the iron canine.
There are two prevalent theories about why Florence is blessed with a doggy babysitter. One version says that her Uncle cherished how much Florence loved the dog statue outside his photography shop. After she tragically passed, he moved it to her grave in her memory.
The second story states that Florence’s father, Thomas, a radical pacifist, placed the dog statue at his daughter’s grave. Iron was in short supply during the Civil War, and he did not want it to end up in the hands of the Confederate Army. Feeling that no one would dare disrespect a two-year-old’s memory, Thomas Rees placed the iron slab in Hollywood Cemetery.
Stories about the hauntings linked to Florence’s dog are many. Those who come to pay their respects hear stray barking near the girl’s final resting place. Meanwhile, those with dark hearts and malicious minds swear to have heard a deep guttural growl warning them to stroll elsewhere. The dog’s position is also said to vary, sometimes facing the opposite way.
The Vampire of Richmond
Whether it is a ghost, vampire, wizard poltergeist, or hallucination, the Vampire of Richmond is one of the area’s most enduring legends. It’s a tale of heartache, murder, tragedy, bloodsucking fiends, ghouls, and everything Ghost lovers love. The vampire is one of the most famous Ghosts of Holywood Cemetery.
The first sighting of the Vampire of Richmond occurred on October 20th, 1925, when the Church Hill tunnel, one of the longest tunnels in the US when it was built in 1873, collapsed. Two hundred feet of tunnel collapsed when a locomotive and ten cars ran through the tunnel during construction.
While 200 men escaped by crawling under flat cars to safety during a nine-day rescue effort, four men were killed in the wake of the disaster. One unfortunate soul was steamed alive by an exploding boiler, dying of his wounds shortly after, and another was crushed to death. The damages were too significant to reconcile, and the tunnel was sealed with two laborers and the entire locomotive still inside.
During the chaos, many locals reported seeing a strange figure covered in blood with mangled, sharp teeth exiting the tunnel. It quickly ran to the Hollywood Cemetery to the grave of W.W. Pool, who had died a few years prior. Thus, the legend of the Vampire of Richmond was born. Was he just a mangled laborer or something far more sinister? The debate continues today.
Haunted Richmond
Stunning and memorable, Hollywood Cemetery is a Richmond must-see. Its twisting lanes and extensive stone pillars are one of Richmond’s crown jewels. The city and the cemetery are full of history lessons, urban legends, ghosts, goblins, and scary things. You’ll encounter phantom pooches, soulful soldiers, dead presidents, and possibly bloodsucking fiends in its walls.
To discover Richmond’s most haunted locations, book a ghost tour with Richmond Ghosts. For more macabre tales, check out our blog, and be sure to follow US Ghost Adventures on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for more spooky content from around the nation.
Sources:
https://the-line-up.com/hollywood-cemetery-richmond-vampire
https://www.hollywoodcemetery.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Cemetery_(Richmond,_Virginia)
https://www.slaveryandremembrance.org/almanack/people/bios/biowbyrd.cfm
https://gravelyspeaking.com/2015/12/12/cemetery-hound/
https://ladycultblog.com/2022/09/18/a-true-companion-the-cast-iron-dog/
https://architecturerichmond.com/inventory/hollywood-cemetery/
https://www.tclf.org/landscapes/hollywood-cemetery
