Elemwood Cementery

The Norfolk City Council has approved a resolution to request information from the Attorney General on how to legally move the Confederate monument in downtown to Elmwood Cemetery.Currently, it is not legal to move the statue because of state code. However, the council says that if the Attorney General will allow them to legally move the statue, it will be moved to Elmwood.Last week, Mayor Kenny Alexander said he would make a recommendation to City Council that they move the Confederate memorial on Main Street to a more suitable location to honor the Confederate war dead.Alexander said times have changed and a cemetery where the war dead are resting may be the best place to honor them.  He also said this is a suggestion and he will discuss this with council and the body will make the final decision.This news comes after Norfolk City Council received many requests to remove the monument in 2015. The topic was discussed at a retreat and council decided to keep the monument because of its "historic value," the mayor said in a letter. He said with last weekend's tragic events in Charlottesville that requests to remove the monument had been renewed.Mayor Alexander said it is appropriate to re-examine the matter.Full Coverage: Protests and violence in CharlottesvilleGovernor Terry McAuliffe appeared to be on the same page as Alexander, saying he encourages Virginia's localities and the General Assembly to take down the monuments and "relocate them to museums or more appropriate settings."Click here  to read Mayor Alexander's entire letter. (wtkr.com)

The Norfolk Society for Cemetery Conservation is holding a twilight walking tour of the historic Elmwood Cemetery.The “Strange Happenings” tour will be led by local historian Joshua Weinstein. It will focus on funerary artwork, mourning rituals and burial practices of Victorian-era America.The tour will take place on August 25 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. No RSVP is required.  All ages are welcome, you can even bring your dog on the tour.The group will meet at the picnic tables next to the office, just beyond entrance gates.There is a $5 suggested donation and parking is free. All proceeds will go to the Norfolk Society for Cemetery Conservation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserve Norfolk’s historic cemeteries. (wtkr.com)