Old City Cemetery
Encyclopedia
The Old City Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Lynchburg
, Virginia
.
It has been estimated that over 90% of Lynchburg’s enslaved and free African American
population are buried in the Old City Cemetery, the primary burial site for African Americans from 1806 to 1865. In fact, at that time it was the only burial ground, excluding private family graveyards, available to African Americans in the area. 75% of the burials in the cemetery are African American. The cemetery's Confederate
section contains the graves of over 2,200 soldiers from 14 states.
It was built on land donated to the City of Lynchburg
by city founder John Lynch
. As the land is soft and slopes downwards towards Blackwater Creek it is unsuitable for residential construction but excellent for a cemetery, so the land was dedicated to that purpose.
The 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) site includes four small historic house museums are located inside the cemetery, which is cared for by the Southern Memorial Association.
The cemetery also includes a non-denominational chapel, built to commemorate the 200-year anniversary of the founding of Lynchburg's Old City Cemetery in 1806, and the lower columbarium with niches and crypts for new burials.
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
It has been estimated that over 90% of Lynchburg’s enslaved and free African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
population are buried in the Old City Cemetery, the primary burial site for African Americans from 1806 to 1865. In fact, at that time it was the only burial ground, excluding private family graveyards, available to African Americans in the area. 75% of the burials in the cemetery are African American. The cemetery's Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
section contains the graves of over 2,200 soldiers from 14 states.
It was built on land donated to the City of Lynchburg
Lynchburg
Lynchburg or Lynchburgh may refer to:*Lynchburg, California*Lynchburg, Mississippi*Lynchburg, Missouri*Lynchburg, Ohio*Lynchburg, South Carolina*Lynchburg, Tennessee*Lynchburg, Texas*Lynchburg, Virginia...
by city founder John Lynch
John Lynch
John H. Lynch is the 80th and current Governor of New Hampshire. Lynch was first elected in 2004 and has been re-elected every two years since. On September 15, 2011, Lynch announced he would not seek a fifth two-year term in 2012....
. As the land is soft and slopes downwards towards Blackwater Creek it is unsuitable for residential construction but excellent for a cemetery, so the land was dedicated to that purpose.
The 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) site includes four small historic house museums are located inside the cemetery, which is cared for by the Southern Memorial Association.
- Pest House Medical Museum, Lynchburg's first hospital
- Hearse House and Caretakers' Museum, museum about the cemetery and funerals
- Station House Museum, Lynchburg, a reconstructed C&O Railway Station furnished as in World War II
- Mourning Museum, museum about mourning customs, located inside the Cemetery Center
The cemetery also includes a non-denominational chapel, built to commemorate the 200-year anniversary of the founding of Lynchburg's Old City Cemetery in 1806, and the lower columbarium with niches and crypts for new burials.