Old City Cemetery
Why it's listed
Old City Cemetery occupies the western end of College Hill in the middle of Lynchburg, Virginia. Burials began in 1806 on land given by John Lynch and continued until 1965. The grounds slope away from a Taylor Street entrance, with a granite cobblestone main drive lined by mature arborvitae, plus maples and evergreens. In the older sections, massive local granite walls topped with ornate iron fences enclose family plots, and the markers include table-top stones, carved marble shafts and a white marble angel. A Confederate section holds more than two thousand soldiers from many states, with a stone arch, an obelisk of fourteen blocks, a small temple-form speaker's rostrum and a concrete bench. The cemetery was listed because it records the city's story across generations. Burials include prominent and obscure residents, white and black, free and enslaved, and it reflects both shared community ties and the Southern character of Lynchburg.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the cemetery as a record of Lynchburg's community, with burials of white and black residents, free and enslaved, native and foreign born. It holds more than two thousand Confederate dead and a range of mid-nineteenth-century memorial art, granite family-plot walls with iron fences, and a landscaped hillside setting.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 73002216, listed April 2, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 4th, Monroe, 1st Sts. and Southern RR. tracks, Lynchburg (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Lynchburg |
| Listed | April 2, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73002216 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Art, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good condition, unaltered, on its original site, and used as a graveyard. Burials ran from 1806 until 1965. |
| Acreage | 26 |
| Coordinates | 37.41518, -79.15636 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 73002216.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7083683
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.