Hollywood Cemetery

Established in 1847, Hollywood Cemetery is a garden cemetery located in Richmond, Virginia. Here the James River has carried away the tops of the Blue Ridge Mountains for eons to create Tidewater Virginia. Presidents James Monroe, John Tyler, and Jefferson Davis of Confederate are buried here.

President James Monroe’s tomb, locally known as "The Birdcage", is in Presidents Circle overlooking the James River. Monroe was the last President considered to be a Founding Father. As the 5th president of the United States during the Era of Good Feelings, like three of his four predecessors, Monroe was also from Virginia. He combatted sectionalism and fostered nationalism during his presidency, dealt with economic crisis the Panic of 1819, the annexation of Florida, the Missouri Compromise, and his own Monroe Doctrine. The Missouri Compromise helped to tamp down sectional issues by admitting one slave state and one free state to the Union and setting terms for the admittance of future states. The Monroe Doctrine established U.S. supremacy in the Western Hemisphere and warned Europe against intervention, lasting impact on U.S. foreign relations until the WWI.

Monroe was noted for his integrity, frankness, and affable personality. Deeply in debt when leaving the presidency due to the long services publicly with mediocre pays, Monroe worked hard resolving his financial difficulties in his later life.Read more