Lynchburg contains a variety of landmarks and historical sites, making it the perfect place for history enthusiasts or a day in the city.
There is an abundance of history within the city itself, as it is over 240 years old. Founded in 1786 by John Lynch, Lynchburg is the 12th-largest metropolitan area in the state with plenty of historical buildings to tell its story.
The Old City Cemetery is a beautiful 27-acre public garden and doubles as a popular wedding venue. In addition to its sprawling gardens, it also boasts an arboretum, or a garden consisting solely of trees, and the largest collection of heirloom roses in the state. Created in 1806, the cemetery is the oldest municipal cemetery in Virginia and has five small museums that help tell the story of almost 20,000 people buried there.
The Old City Cemetery frequently hosts events. One upcoming event is a collaboration with the Legacy Museum on March 22 to welcome the Honorable Tamika Jones as she discusses the reasons to celebrate Women’s History Month. The Jones Memorial Library will host the event at 3 p.m.
Another historical location is Point of Honor, one of Lynchburg’s oldest houses. Located in Daniel’s Hill, it was part of a large plantation before being donated to the City of Lynchburg as a recreation center. It was used as a soup kitchen during the Great Depression and as a nursery in World War II.
Point of Honor is a key historic landmark in Lynchburg and will reopen in March, offering tours that take visitors through each period of the building’s life. The four-acre grounds surrounding Point of Honor remain open year-round.
Another historical location within downtown is the Lynchburg Museum and Visitor Center. From Lynchburg life to art and Vietnam history, visitors can learn about the local culture and Lynchburg’s largest artifact “Ornament on the Hill.”
For those interested in the culture of the 1970s, the Lynchburg Museum is hosting Studio ‘76, a throwback party on Friday, March 6, from 5 to 8 p.m. to celebrate 50 years of the Lynchburg Museum System. Tickets cost $5 per person, and the party will feature a 1970s costume contest with prizes.
Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest is a popular location, filled with natural beauty. Located nearby in Forest, Virginia, the land was originally part of a tract owned by William Stith and was later purchased by Jefferson’s father-in-law. The property was inherited by Jefferson in 1773, then purchased in 1984 by the nonprofit Corporation for Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, after which ongoing renovations were begun.
In light of the completion of a 40-year restoration of the Poplar Forest house, Poplar Forest will host a Woodworking Workshop on March 14, where participants will have the chance to use period-accurate tools similar to those that Jefferson’s workmen worked with to make their own picture frames. Tickets are $150 and include a pass to the Poplar Forest and tour of Jefferson’s retreat home.
Dunham is an off-campus news reporter for the Liberty Champion.