On June 18, 1856, Ivy Hill Cemetery held its official opening ceremonies, marking Alexandria’s first garden-style cemetery. Conceived during the national rural cemetery movement, Ivy Hill was designed as a landscaped burial ground outside the congested city center—reflecting a shift toward more picturesque and park-like memorial spaces.
While the deed for the land was created in 1854 by High C. Smith shortly before his death, and organizational resolutions were passed in 1855, the cemetery’s formal incorporation took place in early 1856, leading to its public debut that summer.
Today, Ivy Hill remains an active burial site and is home to Alexandria’s memorial obelisk honoring the seven firefighters lost in the 1855 Dowell China Shop blaze.
