Nicholas Wolf

I was able to spend last Sunday with yet another cemetery organization that is putting together some great history-related programs, providing internship opportunities for preservationists and historians, and working to improve surrounding neighborhoods--all while maintaining the grounds of important historic sites.

Shockoe Hill Cemetery is located just north of downtown Richmond, and, as I learned, happens to be the burial place of Chief Justice John Marshall, William Cabell, and a number of other Virginia notables, including Edgar Allan Poe's foster father.

In getting a glimpse behind the scenes with both Congressional and Shockoe Hill Cemeteries in the past six months, I've been truly impressed to see the ways in which the volunteer organizations overseeing these sites have worked hard to diversify and expand their scope.  Congressional Cemetery has put together an elaborate cell-phone tour and website to merge graveyard and museum, while Shockoe Hill has started an event series that included speakers on Poe and Marshall last month.  No doubt their creative teams have a number of future project already in the works that many of us will be interested in.

Many thanks to Doug Welsh, Jeffry Burden, and Ivy Spicer for inviting me in for St. Patrick's Day festivities!