Old City Cemetery (Lynchburg, Virginia) facts for kids
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Old City Cemetery
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Old City Cemetery, Lynchburg VA, View of Confederate Section, November 2008
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 Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | 4th, Monroe, 1st Sts. and Southern RR. tracks, Lynchburg, Virginia |
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| Area | 26 acres (11 ha) |
| Built | 1806 |
| NRHP reference No. | 73002216 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 2, 1973 |
The Old City Cemetery is a special historic place in Lynchburg, Virginia. It's the oldest city-owned cemetery in Virginia that's still used today. It's also one of the oldest public burial grounds in the whole United States. Since the 1990s, it has become a history park and a garden for trees (called an arboretum). It is still an active cemetery where people are buried.
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Discovering Old City Cemetery
The Old City Cemetery is a large and important historical site. It covers about 27-acre (11 ha) of land. This cemetery is not just a burial ground. It's also a place where you can learn about history.
Who is Buried Here?
We don't know the exact number of people buried here. This is because official records were not kept before 1914. But experts believe that between 18,000 and 20,000 people rest here.
The people buried at Old City Cemetery come from many different backgrounds. They include the first people who helped start Lynchburg. There are also soldiers, factory workers, and people who were just passing through town.
African American Burials
A large number of the people buried here, about two-thirds, were African American. It's thought that most enslaved and free African Americans from Lynchburg between 1806 and 1865 were buried here. At that time, it was often the only public burial place available to them.
One notable person believed to be buried here is Ota Benga. He was a Congolese man who lived in the early 1900s. His remains might have been moved later.
Confederate Soldiers and Others
The cemetery also has a section for Confederate soldiers. Over 2,200 soldiers from 14 different states are buried there. These soldiers died in military hospitals nearby. The poet Bransford Vawter is also buried in the cemetery.
A Place of History
The land for the cemetery was given to the City of Lynchburg by its founder, John Lynch. He wanted the land to be used as a public burying ground or for a church. It was not to be used for anything else.
The cemetery is cared for by the Southern Memorial Association. They help keep this important historical site preserved.
Museums and More
Inside the cemetery, there are four small historic house museums. These museums teach visitors about different parts of history.
- Pest House Medical Museum: This was Lynchburg's first hospital. You can learn about early medicine here.
- Hearse House and Caretakers' Museum: This museum teaches you about the cemetery itself and how funerals were done long ago.
- Station House Museum: This building is a rebuilt train station from the C&O Railway. It looks like it did during World War I.
- Mourning Museum: This museum is inside the Cemetery Center. It shows how people honored and remembered those who had passed away in the past.
The cemetery also has a Chapel. This Chapel is open to people of all faiths. It was built to celebrate 200 years since the cemetery started in 1806. Below the Chapel, there is a Columbarium. This is a place with niches and crypts for new burials.
Gallery
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Pest House Museum, Old City Cemetery, Lynchburg VA, November 2008
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Pest House Museum (Sign), Old City Cemetery, Lynchburg VA, November 2008
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Station House Museum, Old City Cemetery, Lynchburg VA, November 2008
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Station House Museum (Sign), Old City Cemetery, Lynchburg VA, November 2008
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Chapel and Columbarium, Old City Cemetery, Lynchburg VA, November 2008
