Keep an eye out for a tall, castle-like limestone building with a pointy turret and big arch right by the street-plus a black sign reading “Mount Hebron Cemetery” marks the entrance on your left.
Now, take a deep breath and let’s step back in time together-standing here at Mount Hebron Cemetery and Gatehouse, you’re at the edge of Winchester’s most hallowed ground. This peaceful place stretches back to 1844, when it grew from two old churchyards, some of which belonged to Christ Episcopal, just up the road. Imagine the somber clatter of horse-drawn wagons bringing soldiers here during the Civil War; the cemetery became a final resting spot for hundreds of men from both sides, especially those who didn't make it out of Winchester's busy hospitals. After the fighting stopped, Union soldiers were mostly moved to the nearby Winchester National Cemetery, but over 2,500 Confederate soldiers still sleep on right here in their own section called Stonewall Confederate Cemetery, added in 1866. By 1891, an iron fence wrapped around the grounds, and in 1902, this very gatehouse was built-looking a bit like a fairytale castle, if you ask me! If you sense important history underfoot, you’re right: Founding Father Daniel Roberdeau and the daring Revolutionary War hero Daniel Morgan are both buried here. In 2009, the cemetery made it onto the National Register of Historic Places-proving that history never really rests here, even if its residents do. And don't worry, the only spirits about are the friendly, storytelling kind!
