Saturday, October 11, 2014

Hollywood Cemetery

Mechanicsville, VA  High 72  Low 48

I’m back. But now I have to get caught up on my blog posts. Got a new computer and I’m still learning. You know how slow I am with new stuff. Hopefully I’ll be able to start reading blogs again before too long.

Got a phone call from Ray and Cindy asking us to meet for lunch on Monday as they were headed to Virginia Beach and were willing to stop for lunch. We suggested Cracker Barrel because it is an easy off/on the interstate and has a nice RV parking area.

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We also got to meet Penny. Let me tell you, she is one of the cutest things ever. Check out Ray’s blog to meet her. After an hour and a half we finally let them get back on the road.

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Jim and I headed for Hollywood Cemetery. The original owner called it “Holly-Wood” because of the large number of holly trees located on it.

Several famous people are buried here. We only had about an hour because the girls needed to be let out and fed so we missed several of the more famous graves and monuments.

Monument to the Confederate War Dead

cemeteryThe 90-foot pyramid stands as a monument to the 18,000 Confederate soldiers buried in Hollywood Cemetery. It was created through the efforts of the women of the Hollywood Memorial Association, who tended the graves of the Confederate dead after the Civil War. They worked together to raise over $18,000 and commissioned the help of engineer Charles Henry Dimmock to design the pyramid.

 

James_Monroe_GravePresident James Monroe's Tomb

President Monroe was the fifth president of the US and his tombstone has been nicknamed “The Birdcage”

John_Tyler's_grave President John Tyler's monument

John Tyler, the tenth president of the United States, was buried at Hollywood Cemetery in 1862. His death was the only one in presidential history to not be officially recognized in Washington D.C. because of his allegiance to the Confederate States of America.

 

cemetery6 The Iron Dog stands guard over a little girl’s grave. The dog’s owner knew how much she loved to pat and talk to the dog whenever she came to his store. When she died he had the statue moved to her grave site. It survived being melted down to make bullets during the Civil War because Even a desperate nation did not melt down cemetery monuments.”

While we were there, this butterfly grabbed hold of Jim’s hand and didn’t want to let go.

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13 comments:

  1. Another great place to visit in that area. Another pin on Pinterest for me.

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  2. Another great history lesson.
    That appears to be a Monarch Butterfly. It probably used Jim's hand to rest on as it makes it's migratory trip from Canada down to Mexico for the winter,
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  3. How nice to be able to lunch with Ray and Cindy! Hollywood Cemetery also is now on my Pinterest list for Virginia. Did Jim get is ice cream for desert?

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  4. Love the "tame" Monarch butterfly.

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  5. OK so how do a I pin something pinterest? Looks like a good time was had at lunch. It's so nice to meet up with friends.

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  6. Did you say hello to JEB Stuart in the cemetery? One of my favorite Civil War characters. Sad he didn't survive the war.

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  7. What a neat cemetary! Jim's so lucky the butterfly chose him as a rest stop!

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  8. Hi There, Congrats on getting a new computer... You'll have it all learned pronto!!!!!!

    Looks like an interesting cemetery... I love the pyramid honoring the Confederate War Dead. AND--seeing the other monuments to those 'famous people' was neat also.

    I love to go into old cemeteries and check out the grave sites... I also love seeing the trees (usually big and old) in cemeteries...

    Have a great Sunday. Love the butterfly.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  9. Believe it or not, I've been to that cemetery and found it very interesting.

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  10. Always some interesting history found in cemeteries.

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  11. Added to the list for our trip next year, hopefully we will have more time.

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Thanks for visiting today. I look forward to reading your comments. Have a beautiful day.