{"nrhp_refnum":"06000348","name":"Hebrew Cemetery","other_names":["Hebrew Burying Ground","127-6166"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"400 Hospital St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Richmond (Independent City)","county":"Richmond (city and county)","state":"VA","lat":37.551922733000026,"lon":-77.42971764499998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2006-05-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Religion","Social History","Ethnic Heritage"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A historic Jewish burial ground at 400 Hospital Street on Shockoe Hill in Richmond, Virginia, founded in 1816 and now covering about 8.4 acres with roughly 2,600 burials, a brick Romanesque-style chapel and a grid-plan layout.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the oldest active Jewish cemetery in continuous use in the South and the oldest continuously active cemetery in Richmond. It documents the city's Jewish community, including merchants, civic leaders and immigrants, and contains a fenced section where thirty Jewish Confederate soldiers were re-interred. Its grave markers show a shift from traditional simplicity to Victorian symbolism.","narrative":"Hebrew Cemetery occupies about 8.4 acres on Shockoe Hill in Richmond, Virginia, beside the 1861 Alms House and Shockoe Cemetery. Founded in 1816 and expanded several times, most recently in 1998, it holds about 2,600 burials laid out in a block and grid plan. Early sandstone markers are simple and carry Hebrew and English inscriptions, reflecting the Jewish belief that all are equal in death. Later monuments add Victorian symbols such as ivy, urns and tree forms, alongside Jewish emblems like the shofar and the Levite water jug. A Romanesque-style brick chapel from about 1898 replaced an earlier preparation house. A section enclosed by a distinctive iron fence holds thirty Jewish Confederate soldiers re-interred in 1866. The cemetery is described as the oldest active Jewish cemetery in continuous use in the South. Many of Richmond's Jewish merchants, civic leaders and rabbis are buried there, and the grounds remain in use.","period_of_significance":"1816-1956","architect_builder":"James Dimmock (mortuary chapel); the text also names Richmond architect M. J. Dimmock, and Nelson Powell as building contractor","architectural_style":"Romanesque Revival (building)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still an active cemetery; described as well preserved and well maintained, with erosion on the northern bank of the oldest section after Tropical Storm Gaston and stabilization efforts underway.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:03.035739-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/37/6832/41683237/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/06000348.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000348/74c4fc05c0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000348/74c4fc05c0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jmurden","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hebrew_cemetery.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jmurden</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hebrew_cemetery.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100007793","name":"Shockoe Hill Burying Ground Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/shockoe-hill-burying-ground-historic-district-100007793/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41683237","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_Cemetery_(Richmond,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5695834"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/richmond/hebrew-cemetery-06000348/"}