Old City Cemetery Museums and Arboretum

Old City Cemetery Museums and Arboretum Established in 1806, Old City Cemetery is Virginia's oldest municipal cemetery still in use today.
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It is the most visited attraction in the City of Lynchburg and one of Central Virginia’s most unique public gardens, Class II Arboretum, & so much more. The Old City Cemetery, established in 1806, is one of the oldest public cemeteries in the United States still in use today. Mayors and other prominent civic leaders, along with the city’s indigent and “strangers,” are among the estimated 15,000 pe

ople buried here. Two thirds of those interred here are of African descent, both enslaved and free. The cemetery’s Confederate section contains the graves of more than 2,200 soldiers from 14 states. Museums on the property interpret the diverse history of this rehabilitated graveyard and its inhabitants. Today, Old City Cemetery is the most visited historic site in the City of Lynchburg and is Central Virginia’s most unique public garden. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.

For years, we have celebrated many beautiful beginnings at Old City Cemetery in our historic chapel and on our grounds. ...
08/12/2026

For years, we have celebrated many beautiful beginnings at Old City Cemetery in our historic chapel and on our grounds. Weddings at OCC are special to us, and we enjoy being a place where families come together to celebrate the start of a new journey. Please join us on August 22nd from 10 to 12:30 to us for our Wedding Expo! You will get a tour of the chapel, meet fabulous vendors, and enjoy hors d'oeuvres and sweet treats. If you would like to attend our Wedding Expo, please reach out to [email protected]. We look forward to seeing you!

Even amidst debris clean up from the storm, our team helped find another lost relative! Online records read that this p...
08/12/2026

Even amidst debris clean up from the storm, our team helped find another lost relative! Online records read that this particular Soldier died in Lynchburg in 1862 and was buried in the Soldiers' Section in Old City Cemetery. Family members reached out earlier this week to locate his grave. Upon further investigation of our Diuguid records, his remains were actually shipped back to his home town in North Carolina. So grateful for our historical research and archiving team taking a deeper dive to help a family locate a lost relative.

We are very grateful that yesterday's storm did not cause more damage in our beloved GraveGarden. We are incredibly tha...
08/11/2026

We are very grateful that yesterday's storm did not cause more damage in our beloved GraveGarden. We are incredibly thankful for the City of Lynchburg's Department of Public Works for immediately helping with clean up until midnight last night and starting again at sunrise this morning. If you are interested in helping with the clean up please reach out to [email protected]. If you should wish to donate to headstone repair, please visit https://oldcitycemetery.givingfuel.com/general-donations

Summer Sale at Old City Cemetery's Gift Shop! Everyone gets our Employee Discount!! We are open Tuesdays through Satur...
08/05/2026

Summer Sale at Old City Cemetery's Gift Shop! Everyone gets our Employee Discount!! We are open Tuesdays through Saturdays 10-3 and Sundays 12-4.

Happy Humid Monday! Just a reminder to have a look at our updated events calendar. For August we have a Mourning Tea w...
08/03/2026

Happy Humid Monday! Just a reminder to have a look at our updated events calendar. For August we have a Mourning Tea with the Guiding Sol Doula Services on August 21, Wedding Showcase on August 22, Holbrook Lecture on August 22, and Living History Tours on August 27. Join us! https://www.gravegarden.org/occevents/

An AA250 Spotlight on our friends at the Lynchburg Museum System!
07/30/2026

An AA250 Spotlight on our friends at the Lynchburg Museum System!

For this week's AA250, we head to the Lynchburg Museum.

We are sorry to report that one of our long-time Cemetery cats "Old Man" has passed away. He passed in a favorite shady...
07/28/2026

We are sorry to report that one of our long-time Cemetery cats "Old Man" has passed away. He passed in a favorite shady spot where he had been convalescing in recent weeks with lots of TLC; or as much as he would tolerate. RIP!

July is Social Wellness Month. People with strong, meaningful social ties live longer and happier! And what is a great...
07/24/2026

July is Social Wellness Month. People with strong, meaningful social ties live longer and happier! And what is a great source of Social Wellness...Volunteerism! Join our Wednesday Morning Group for coffee, donuts, headstone repair, pulling weeds and all kinds of digging in the dirt. Volunteer in Old City Cemetery...you will LIVE longer! For more information, please reach out to [email protected].

Morris, Baxter, and Sampson would like to share some of their summer reading list with you all! All are available in ou...
07/23/2026

Morris, Baxter, and Sampson would like to share some of their summer reading list with you all! All are available in our Gift Shop, which is open Tuesdays through Saturdays 10-3 and Sundays 12-4. You have GOAT to come for a visit!

Address

401 Taylor Street
Lynchburg, VA
24501

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 3pm
Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 10am - 3pm
Friday 10am - 3pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm
Sunday 12am - 4pm

Telephone

14348471465

Website

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