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Greenhill Cemetery Tour -- Sunday, October 23, 2005 -- 3:00 p.m.

Greenhill is a large Victorian-era municipal cemetery.  Surrounded by an iron fence with two large double iron gates, this well-kept cemetery contains all descriptions of trees and flowers.  With its pleasant winding drives, Greenhill is typical of the Romantic layout of mid-19th century cemeteries.

Established in 1863, Greenhill was the first of three connecting cemeteries laid out on the old Green estate.  Dr. N. T. Green died in 1860, and since at least the turn of the century his remains have been located in this cemetery that bears his name.  In addition to many notable Danvillians interred here, a number of Confederate veterans also rest in Greenhill. 

"Confederate Row" leads to Danville's Confederate Soldiers Monument.  This 16-ton obelisk and base of Virginia granite stands 32 feet atop a six-foot artificial mound.  It was dedicated 3 September 1878 and paid for with $2,000 raised by the Ladies Memorial Association.  Every spring, the Anne Eliza Johns Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy conducts their Jefferson Davis celebration near the obelisk at Greenhill.

Among the most prominent Danvillians interred here is the city's wartime quartermaster, Major William T. Sutherlin.

Danville Historical Society's tour of Greenhill Cemetery will begin at the Major's former residence, Sutherlin Mansion, 975 Main Street.  In addition to its distinction as the "Last Capitol of the Confederacy," the mansion is now home to the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History. 

The Greenhill Cemetery Tour will be led by the Museum's Education Coordinator, Sharon Hughes.  Tour participants will meet at the Museum at 3:00 p.m., and travel to the cemetery by trolley as a group.  Return by 5:00 p.m. is expected. 

Extensive walking is required, so tour participants should wear comfortable walking shoes and bring bottled water.  After arriving from the Museum, the tour will begin under the gazebo, near the front entrance, with a discussion on 19th century funerary customs and gravestone symbols.  During the course of the tour you will learn the stories about many more early Danville residents.  A number of the sites visited will be of those who lived during the years of the Civil War.

Open to the public.  Attendees may wish to arrive early to allow time for a tour of the Mansion and a visit to the Museum Shop.