Cemeteries of Southwest Virginia: Exploring Appalachian Burial Grounds

Explores how diverse cultures, beliefs, and traditions shaped the region’s unique burial practices.

The cemeteries of Southwest Virginia have a fascinating combination of culture, heritage, and history. The memorials present a mix of carved art and beautifully written epithets. There are memorials to occupation, passions, beliefs, or lifelong missions placed through elaborate rituals. The customs of the Appalachian region run deep, reaching back through centuries and cultures. This is no less true in the funerary rights and cemeteries where they are laid to rest. The mountains were settled by a complex combination of ethnic groups and displaced populations that brought with them a variety of beliefs and burial rites that melted into a culture stretching the entire length of the oldest ranges.

Southwest Virginia is a unique pocket of mixed ideals. From simple to elaborate memorials, they all harbor unique beauty, with some stones so weatherworn that time has forgotten their occupants. Others feature entire life stories carved from unfathomable grief. Take a stroll through some of the best current and historic examples of a place where cultures and faiths come together.