Join us for a talk on how Thanksgiving as we know it began, not with the Pilgrims, but during the Civil War and how the traditions we know today developed through the Victorian Era.

Join African American history specialist Angelica Walker as she leads a tour highlighting Old City Cemetery’s rich African American history and hear the stories of educators, businessmen, suffragettes, and many more who fought for civil rights and equality.

  Visit the Cemetery’s “First Acre,” or oldest section that dates back to 1806, with historian Judith Harvey.  Learn the meaning of the intriguing carved symbols on many grave markers, from flags to flutes.  Dozens of symbols send a silent message to visitors and help tell the stories of local residents buried here.

The Victorian Era brought to America many unusual customs for mourning the deceased.  Lynchburg residents – including children – followed national trends and wore special clothing and jewelry for a very long time after a loved one had passed.  Historian Judith Harvey will share the customs and the history behind them in this special tour.

Old City Cemetery holds the stories of nearly 20,000 residents buried here for the past 215 years.  More recent burials are located “outside the brick wall,” and this tour by OCC staff member Kathy McGlothlin will explore the lives of several special citizens of the 1900s.

Nearly 20,000 people are buried at here at Old City Cemetery. They were rich and poor, black and white, veterans, doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, railroad workers, ministers and more.  This tour will introduce the life and times of everyday people from Lynchburg's yesteryear.

Old City Cemetery holds the stories of nearly 20,000 residents buried here for the past 215 years.  More recent burials are located “outside the brick wall,” and this tour by OCC staff member Kathy McGlothlin will explore the lives of several special citizens of the 1900s.