Shockoe Hill Cemetery

05/30/2026

In 2012, the Friends of Shockoe Hill Cemetery worked with David Falkenstein of Virginia, the great-great grandson of Pvt. Harvey Adams, 38th North Carolina Infantry, to place a government marker at Pvt. Adams' grave.

We're pleased to report that on Friday, David for the first time was able to visit the Cemetery and pay his respects.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/73505948/harvey-j-adams

05/24/2026

Peter Francisco -- "Washington's One-Man Army" -- is remembered by many, including his fellow Freemasons. We were pleased to welcome members of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Virginia, who gathered in the rain on Saturday to honor his memory with words of tribute and commemorative wreaths.

05/22/2026

Several generations of the Samuel R. Ellis family are buried at Shockoe Hill. Samuel’s descendant Skip Montgomery and his wife Anne-Marie visited from Glen Allen today to see the Ellis plot. As always, it's a treat to help relatives in their family quests!

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/105815307/samuel-r-ellis

05/19/2026

Our friends the James River Hikers, led by Dennis Bussey, came by last week for another round of marker cleaning. It's always good to have them on hand!

05/08/2026

Out at the Cemetery today, we ran into Connie Bornemann of Florida and Jane Benton of Arkansas, who came looking for the graves of more than fifteen relatives of Connie buried at Shockoe Hill.

Those relatives include Connie's great-great-grandfather John Fitzhugh Lay, a Confederate cavalryman; and her 4th great-uncle Dr. James Drew McCaw, a prominent Richmond physician, who was badly burned helping rescue people during the Richmond Theater Fire of 1811.

Connie will be sending family data so we can learn more about these persons and the lives they led in Richmond!

04/01/2026

Here's a then-and-now view, looking south through the Bates Street gate down Third Street.

The first image, from 1965, shows a densely-populated residential area. The structure to the left of the tree, now gone, was known as "Bray's Gambrel-Roofed Cottage," moved to that site in 1876, from where it had stood at the corner of Fourth and Marshall streets. It may have been the home (and possibly office) of James Bray (1790-1871), who is buried at Shockoe Hill.

Though the recent image shows almost all of those structures gone, there is again a gambrel-roofed structure at that same spot. That new building is the centerpiece of the JXN Haus/Skipwith-Roper Cottage. Created by The JXN Project, it will be both a research center and a commemoration of the legacy of Abraham Skipwith, who in 1793 became the first-known Black homeowner in what eventually became Jackson Ward. His original cottage (on Duval Street) was a victim of Interstate construction, but it has been re-created here. The grand opening of the facility will be April 17.

03/22/2026

Lots of good work got done yesterday! College and high school students from Richmond and Tidewater were among several dozen volunteers at the monthly City-organized cleanup day.

Learn more about the next event on April 18 at the Community Foundation website: https://www.cfengage.org/opportunity/a0CNw0000Cmf7PH/shockoe-hill-cemeteries-cleanup?_gl=1*1kvic6l*_ga*MTQwOTcwNjM1NS4xNzczMTc2MTI5*_ga_1B7YJZX75M*czE3NzQxODYxNjAkbzMkZzEkdDE3NzQxODYxODYkajM0JGwwJGgxODQ2OTIxMDY3

03/20/2026

Join Preservation Virginia and the Friends of Shockoe Hill Cemetery this Saturday for a double tour of the John Marshall House and Shockoe Hill Cemetery, focusing on the life and times of John's beloved wife, Mary Ambler "Polly" Marshall.

Born March 18, 1766 in Yorktown, Virginia, Polly Marshall came of age alongside the new nation. After settling in Richmond with her husband, the future Chief Justice John Marshall, Polly built her life amongst the capital city’s elite. What was Polly’s journey as a daughter, mother, friend, and ...

03/09/2026

They're back! Flags of Ireland again dot the gravesites of many Irish immigrants buried here, as we approach St. Patrick's Day. They're a reminder of, and tribute to, the hundreds of immigrants from Ireland and the many other countries, buried here. Their stories form a rich part of the tapestry that is Shockoe Hill.

02/22/2026

The City of Richmond is organizing monthly volunteer work days at Shockoe Hill. (For more information on the next work day on March 21, see: https://www.cfrichmond.org/engage/share-treasure/cause/environment)

Among the volunteers on Saturday were local members of the Wounded Warrior Project. Many thanks for their hard work!