Hollywood Cemetery - Shelley Beatty

Visiting Richmond, Virginia AND Becca and Carl

Bob and I headed to Richmond, Virginia to await the birth of our new granddaughter. But we also enjoyed visiting Richmond. Richmond is rich in history…revolutionary war period and the civil war period (Richmond is one of the top 10 Civil War sites* according to National Geographic). It is not far from Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. It is surrounded by battlefields from the civil war…Petersburg…Fredericksburg…Lynchburg.

One of the beauties of downtown Richmond, Virginia is the James River, an unusually scenic river.

James River, Richmond, VA

Because we knew our time for sightseeing was limited…baby Hardy was making her appearance at any moment we started a frantic sightseeing whirlwind tour. It would not needed to have been so frantic if we had known baby Hardy was in no hurry to be born…delaying her appearance by a week (but more on that later). We visited the White House of the Confederacy and Museum of the Confederacy.

Museum of the Confederacy

Hand-made valentine made by a war prisioner

White House of the Confederacy

Drive shaft of the USS Merrimac

Hat of Robert E. Lee

Dress in the Museum of Confederacy

Museum of the Confederacy

*As capital of the Confederacy, the South’s industrial heart, and the ultimate target of Northern armies, Richmond is rich with Civil War historic sites. Many of them are grouped under the auspices of Richmond National Battlefield Park in and around the city itself.

Richmond was the target of several invasions by both land and sea. Defensive positions and battlefields include several from the Seven Days Campaign as well as New Market Heights (scene of the U.S. Colored Troops’ legendary charge), and Drewry’s Bluff, where Confederate guns foiled an attack by a U.S. naval fleet.

Much of the city burned during evacuation and occupation in April 1865, but numerous historic structures remain. The national battlefield park’s main visitors center is located in the Tredegar Iron Works, where many Confederate munitions were produced. The site of the former Chimborazo Hospital, where countless wounded from Virginia’s many battlefields were treated, is now a museum to the war’s medical history.

We visited Hollywood Cemetery where James Monroe and John Tyler, both Presidents of the United States are buried. Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy is also buried in Hollywood Cemetery. I visited Hollywood Cemetery on my last visit to Richmond, but definitely worth seeing again.

Unique headstone, Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia.

John Tyler’s gravesite, Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia.

James Monroe’s gravesite, Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia.

Hollywood Cemetery

Bob and Becca’s friend Andrea at Jefferson Davis’ gravesite.

We took the historic Richmond Trolley Ride Tour.

Richmond_trolley

Carl and Becca

Panoramic View of Richmond

Old Lucky Strike cigarette company

Capitol Building of Virginia

Arthur Ashe statue

I thought it was interesting on Monument Ave in Richmond there was an Arthur Ashe Monument…most notably they depicted him holding a book representing education higher than the tennis racket.

We also visited the re-enactment of Patrick Henry’s “give me liberty or give me death” speech at St. John’s Church in Richmond.

Inside St. John’s Church Richmond, Virginia

St. John’s Church Richmond, Virginia

Re-enactor in drama of famous speech by Patrick Henry

Re-enactors in drama of famous speech by Patrick Henry

Re-enactor in drama of famous speech by Patrick Henry

Our next field trip was to Thomas Jefferson’s home Monticello! We planned to spend the day there and we used every minute to enjoy the home, the grounds and the gardens!

Bob enjoying the quill dip pens!

Quill pens and ink

Pottery found in archeology digs around Monticello

View of back of Monticello

Bob at Monticello

Plants around Monticello

Plants (sensitivity plant) around Monticello

View of back of Monticello

Plants around Monticello (loved all the greens)

Plants (loved the design the roots made) around Monticello

Gardens around Monticello

Monticello

front door Monticello

Monticello dome

secret room Monticello

Grave of Thomas Jefferson

Orchard near Monticello

Scenic view seen from mountain where Monticello located

Petersburg Civil War Battlefield– home of the longest siege of the Civil War.

Unbelievable! Two bullets hit exactly point to point.

Batteries Petersburg Battlefield

Petersburg Battlefield

The “dictator” (biggest cannon ever) at Petersburg Battlefield

Petersburg Battlefield

Eastern Front Petersburg Battlefield

Then:

Abatis in front of Federal trench lines at Petersburg in 1865. (Library of Congress)

Now:

Trenches at Petersburg Battlefield

Petersburg Battlefield

The Crater:

After weeks of preparation, on July 30 the Federals exploded a mine in Burnside’s IX Corps sector beneath Pegram’s Salient, blowing a gap in the Confederate defenses of Petersburg. From this propitious beginning, everything deteriorated rapidly for the Union attackers. Unit after unit charged into and around the crater, where soldiers milled in confusion. The Confederates quickly recovered and launched several counterattacks led by Maj. Gen. William Mahone. The break was sealed off, and the Federals were repulsed with severe casualties. Ferrarro’s division of black soldiers was badly mauled. This may have been Grant’s best chance to end the Siege of Petersburg. Instead, the soldiers settled in for another eight months of trench warfare. Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside was relieved of command for his role in the debacle.

Petersburg Battlefield

Bob at Petersburg Battlefield

Petersburg Battlefield

Bob and Becca at Petersburg Battlefield

Then:

View of The Crater circa 1870. The exit of the mineshaft can be seen at the center of the image. (Library of Congress)

Now:

Becca at Petersburg Battlefield checking out the beginning of the tunnel

Beginning of tunnel at Petersburg Battlefield

Americana Craft Council Show Baltimore Maryland

I recently got to visit my daughter and son-in-law in Richmond Virginia. We actually went to Baltimore to a trade show. We went to the American Craft Council Wholesale Show at the Baltimore Convention Center. We decided to check it out for Becca’s company Max and Bunny.

Becca at the American Craft Council Show Baltimore Maryland Show

I thought it was a spectacular show. The only problem I had injured my foot (later learned I had a stress fracture) but I hobbled around on my broken foot and checked out the show. They have both a wholesale and retail show (back to back). It’s a three-day celebration of all things handmade! More than 650 of the top contemporary jewelry, clothing, furniture, and home décor artists from across the country gather under one roof. It is a chance to touch, feel, and explore high-quality American craft like you’ve never seen before! This is the American Craft Council’s flagship show – a must-attend for craft lovers. Definitely worth attending.

Americana Craft Council Show Baltimore Maryland

After we got back to Richmond I wanted to see the sights, but with my injured foot we did most our sight seeing from the car. One stop was the Hollywood Cemetery.

Hollywood Cemetery

Natives of Richmond Virginia consider Hollywood Cemetery much more than a Cemetery. Hollywood is a living story in stone, iron, and landscape. It recalls Virginians of bygone years whose lives shaped and influenced history. With stunning views, Hollywood overlooks the James River, near the site where Captain Christopher Newport planted a wooden cross a few weeks after the founding of Jamestown.

Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond Virginia overlooking river

The cemetery was designed in 1847 by noted architect, John Notman of philadelphia. It was designed in the “rural” style to escape grid-like monotony of older cemeteries. It is one of America’s most beautiful “garden” cemeteries. Hollywood’s paths wind through 135 acres of valleys, over hills, and beneath stately trees of natural beauty and tranquility.

Hollywood Cemetery Richmond, Virginia

Hollywood serves as the final resting place of two American presidents (James Monroe and John Tyler), one confederate President (Jefferson Davis) six Virginia governors, two Supreme court justices, twenty-two Confederated generals, and thousands of Confederate soldiers. A ninety foot granite pyramid which was completed in 1869 serves as a monument to 18,000 Confederated enlisted men buried nearby.

Pyramid honoring Confederate Soldiers, Hollywood Cemetery Richmond, Virginia

President James Monroe Gravesite

James Monroe Grave Hollywood Cemetery Richmond Virginia

John Tyler’s gravesite:

John Tyler’s grave site Hollywood Cemetery Richmond Virginia

Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ gravesite:

Jefferson Davis’ gravesite Hollywood Cemetery Richmond Virginia

You cannot miss Black Dog Hill with one of Richmond’s sweetest stories (urban legend ?). No matter it is one of the best liked and well-known monuments in the area. It is the cast-iron Newfoundland standing guard over a grave. Iron Dog is by far more famous as a curiosity than for the person buried there. In fact, there are many versions of the Iron Dog story, and the Valentine Richmond History Center helped to identify several.

Iron Dog Hollywood Cemetery Richmond Virginia

What is fairly certain is that a female toddler is buried there, last name Rees. I’ve seen at least three first names — Florence, Elizabeth and Bernadine, with the latter being the most likely. She apparently died of a childhood disease (maybe scarlet fever) in 1862 before she reached the age of 3.

A fine article by Walter S. Griggs Jr. in the Summer 2006 Richmond Guide has three versions of how Iron Dog got to the area he notes became known as “Black Dog Hill”:

It was moved to the gravesite to keep it from being melted down to make bullets. “Even a desperate nation did not melt down cemetery monuments.
Iron Dog’s owner remembered how much the girl liked to pat the statue, so he gave it to her family to guard her grave.
The girl’s family bought Iron Dog and placed it at the grave as a memorial to her.

Iron Dog Hollywood Cemetery Richmond Virginia

No matter which version you want to believe, the lore of the story is what people seem to love most. Trinkets, toys, coins and flowers are often said to be found at the grave and on the black Iron Dog, as if we all have some relation to the little girl and her famous guardian.
Another historic site we visited was Virginia House in Richmond.

Virginia House Richmond Virginia

Virginia House was formerly an English manor house that was relocated to Richmond in 1925. The home is now owned and operated by the Virginia Historical Society.

Virginia House Richmond Virginia

Virginia House was completed a few months before the stock market crash of 1929. Designed by Alexander and Virginia Weddell, the home is situated on a hillside overlooking the historic James River and was constructed from the materials of a sixteenth century English manor house.

I loved the wavy walls

Wavy wall Richmond Virginia

n the rolling banks of the James River stands a remarkable Tudor estate. And by Tudor, we’re not simply referring to an architectural style. This manor house was actually built in Lancashire, England in the late 15th Century.
For hundreds of years, Agecroft Hall was the distinguished home of England’s Langley and Dauntesey families. At the end of the 19th century, however, Agecroft fell into disrepair, and in 1925 it was sold at auction.
Hearing of this tremendous opportunity, Richmonder Thomas C. Williams, Jr. purchased the structure, and had it dismantled, crated, and shipped across the Atlantic, and then painstakingly reassembled in a Richmond neighborhood known as Windsor Farms.
Today, Agecroft Hall stands beautifully re-created, in a setting reminiscent of its original site on Lancashire’s Irwell River.