Norfolk has offered its residents a place to rot in the ground since 1825.
Official web site for more information: www.norfolk.gov/cemeteries Norfolk Society for Cemetery Conservation:http://www.norfolksocietyforcemeteryconservation.org
Calvary Cemetery was established as a burial ground for Norfolk's African American citizens on January 9, 1877. Calvary is a 68 acre outdoor museum of African American history in Norfolk. For nearly a century, most of Norfolk's African American citizens were interred at Calvary as there were no other burial options available to African Americans in Norfolk until the mid-1970s. Epitaphs document the lives of every level of African American society from doctors and lawyers, to sailors and laborers. Historic Forrest has compiled a list about Norfolk Notables interred at Calvary Cemetery. Cedar Grove Cemetery was established in 1825 as Norfolk's first public burial ground. The ordinance that provided for the establishment of Cedar Grove also called for the closure of St. Paul's Church Yard due to overcrowding and subsequent community health issues. Cedar Grove adjoins a site which had been used for the burial of citizen soldiers from other parts of Virginia during the War of 1812. Though it encompasses only 14 acres of land, Cedar Grove is a valuable cultural landscape the survival of which is imperative to the historic and cultural record. Along with many of Norfolk's founding fathers, there are hundreds of Civil War soldiers and sailors interred at Cedar Grove. It is also the site of mass burials of Norfolk citizens who were victims of the 1855 yellow fever epidemic. Historic Forrest has compiled a list about Norfolk Notables interred at Cedar Grove Cemetery. Calvary Cemetery . Cedar Grove Cemetery . Elmwood Cemetery . Elmwood Cemetery is a 50-acre municipal cemetery established in 1853. It is just across the street from Norfolk's first municipal cemetery, Cedar Grove Cemetery and just beside Norfolk's first African American cemetery, West Point. A mid-nineteenth century grid design cemetery, Elmwood Cemetery is filled with monuments and mausoleums that embody the pathos and symbolism of the Victorian era's romantic idea of death as temporary sleep. Within its boundaries are works of nationally known sculptures Edward Field Sanford, Jr. and William Couper as well as memorial architect Harold Van Buren Magonigle. An oasis (o'death) in the middle of the modern city of Norfolk, this outdoor museum contains a wealth of Victorian funerary art. Elmwood Cemetery thrives today as a great source of genealogical information and as a biographical representation of the history of Norfolk, of its artists and craftsmen, soldiers, sailors, and ordinary citizens, from the wealthiest of merchants to the poorest of commoners buried in "strangers and paupers" lots. The cemetery is a visual representation of the evolution of American funerary art reflecting changing believes and tastes of successive generations.* *Excerpt from the 2013 National Register of Historic Places nomination for Elmwood Cemetery A list of Norfolk Notables interred at Elmwood Cemetery. Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device (like a smart phone) and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers called "geocaches". NSCC's dear friend of Norfolk's historic cemeteries, Janice Williams, created the following geocaches in Elmwood Cemetery to educate visitors about some of the history, memorial art & architecture within. Forest Lawn Cemetery . Hebrew Cemetery . Magnolia Cemetery . Memorial Cemetery . Riverside Cemetery . Riverside Memorial Park was created by private enterprises in 1910, in the Campostella Heights area; the City of Norfolk purchased the cemetery in 1971. Riverside Memorial Park
Riverside Memorial Park has a unique design – like the spokes of a wheel extending outward from a central main circle creating pie slice shaped sections.
Since 1995, over 200 trees have been planted at Riverside Memorial Park as part of an ongoing urban forestry program thereby contributing to the arboreal ambiance of the park.
The Hendricks family owned and operated the cemetery in its early days while operating a monument company on site; thus there are many large family monuments in the older sections of the park.
The Langley Angel Monument located in the Magnolia Section is the largest of these.
Riverside Memorial Park's main circle was at one time home to a large bell tower, which was utilized while conducting funeral services, and whose chime was heard throughout "the neighborhood".
Riverside Memorial Park was once the home of a large bell tower built in the main circle. The bell would chime when funeral services were conducted and was heard throughout the neighborhood.
The US Army used the bell tower as a lookout during WWII as Riverside Memorial Park is one of the highest points in Tidewater.
A US Army camp was maintained in the back of the cemetery during that time for the same reason. Unfortunately, the bell tower fell into disrepair and was demolished in the 1970s.
The cemetery’s original office, gate and columns were removed in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
Riverside has a variety of graves for sale.
USGENWEB Archives Virginia
The City of Norfolk
Riverside Memorial Park was established in 1910 in the Campostella Heights area of Norfolk. The City of Norfolk purchased it in 1971.
Riverside Memorial Park covers more than 44 acres and has a unique design - like the spokes of a wheel extending outward from a central circle creating sections shaped like pie slices.
Since 1995, over 200 trees have been planted at Riverside as part of an ongoing urban forestry program.
The installation of various species of trees enhanced Riverside's park-like atmosphere and those interested in horticulture find it very educational.
Tugboats, industrial cranes, and other seafaring structures provide the backdrop to several sections at Riverside Memorial Park reminding those who visit of the importance of the ship repair industry to the City of Norfolk.
The Langley Angel monument is the largest at Riverside, dating back to the time when the Hendricks family owned and operated both the cemetery and a monument company on site.
Additional, larger monuments populate the older sections of the park. West Point Cemetery .Calvary Cemetery
Calvary Cemetery
Cedar Grove Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery Geocaching
Forest Lawn Cemetery
Hebrew Cemetery
Magnolia Cemetery
Memorial Cemetery
Riverside Cemetery
History ?? do you need this? prolly no, if you asking
Database provided by the Bureau of Cemeteries, Norfolk, VA. Updated September 2013
Riverside Memorial Park
Visitor Information
West Point Cemetery
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References / Resources