Gravesite Decorations Policy

Welcome to Old City Cemetery Museums & Arboretum, & Lynchburg’s Public Burial Ground.

We hope that you find peace and comfort while visiting our grounds.

Decorations Policy for Old City Cemetery Public Burial Grounds

Old City Cemetery is honored to be the final resting place for all those buried here. In an effort to maintain our cemetery grounds in a dignified and respectful way, we ask families to help in this way:

• Please keep all gravesite decorations contained to the bricks surrounding the burial name plaque.
  • If there are no bricks, items must be placed directly beside the name plaque.
• Metal, in-ground flower vases and garden flags will be permitted, but they may be removed by maintenance personnel if they are in the way of regular mowing and weed trimming.
• Small personal items such as ornaments, mementos, toys, photos, etc. , will be permitted, but must be kept on the bricks surrounding the burial name plaque.
• Please remove old items that have become faded or damaged.
• Please do not use plastic or wooden flower vases, stakes or posts that could be damaged by lawn mowers or maintenance equipment.
• Please do not place fencing of any kind around a burial plot. This includes garden or landscape fencing, wood or stakes to mark out a gravesite. These make it difficult to maintain the plot with
  mowers and lawn maintenance equipment.

Wreaths & Larger Displays:
Wreaths and other large memorial items will be permitted on stands. For maintenance purposes, they will be removed and discarded one month after placement. Families wishing to keep these items should come to retrieve them before the one month has elapsed.

Clean-Up Schedule:
Our cemetery grounds will be cleaned 2x a year: the week of April 1-7, and October 1-7. All items placed outside the brick area of a gravesite will be removed, including: wreaths, flowers, fencing, toys, mementos, etc. Families wishing to save items placed on graves should pick up before those dates.

Items which have become faded, damaged or deteriorated may be cleaned up by maintenance if deemed necessary at any time. Old City Cemetery & the City of Lynchburg assume no responsibility for lost or damaged personal items.

We wish to make every effort to respect and accommodate those who have suffered the loss of a loved one. If you have questions or special requests, we encourage you to call Old City Cemetery at 434-847-1465. Thank you for helping us keep our cemetery beautiful and respectful for all. 

Records & History

We believe it is important to preserve the memory of your loved one and invite you to provide any information that you have, so that we can maintain accurate records of all who rest here at Old City Cemetery. Please fill out the form below with any information you would like us to have on your loved one. If you would like to speak to someone directly, you can do so by calling our main office at (434) 847-1465, by emailing us at occ@gravegarden.org, or by stopping by our office during normal business hours.