Cedar Grove Cemetery was established in 1825 as Norfolk’s first public burial ground. The ordinance that provided for the establishment of Cedar Grove also called for the closure of St. Paul’s Church Yard due to overcrowding and subsequent community health issues.
Cedar Grove adjoins a site which had been used for the burial of citizen soldiers from other parts of Virginia during the War of 1812. Though it encompasses only 14 acres of land, Cedar Grove is a valuable cultural landscape the survival of which is imperative to the historic and cultural record. Along with many of Norfolk’s founding fathers, there are hundreds of Civil War soldiers and sailors interred at Cedar Grove. It is also the site of mass burials of Norfolk citizens who were victims of the 1855 yellow fever epidemic.
If you are interested in learning more about Cedar Grove Cemetery, consider attending one of the several exciting walking tours. All tours are open to the public, a $5 donation to the NSCC is greatly appreciated. For tour dates visit our tour page.
