One of the most well-known and loved monuments in Hollywood Cemetery is this cast iron dog. Here is the legend and the story behind the legend:
A black cast iron dog used to stand in front of a general store on Broad Street. Every day, a little girl would walk by the store and hug the dog or talk to it sweetly. The little girl died of scarlet fever and was buried at Hollywood Cemetery. Shortly after her death, the cast iron dog was moved to her grave because there was an iron shortage during the Civil War and the owners didn't want the dog to be melted down for weapons. Ever since then, stories have circulated that the dog protects the little girl's grave and that it moves around on her gravesite, that its eyes follow visitors around the park, and that its wild barks can be heard late at night.
The Straight Story:
The Valentine Richmond History Center runs guided tours of Hollywood Cemetery every week. In their files, they have a "Letter to the Editor" to the Richmond Times-Dispatch which explains the origins of the cast iron dog and corresponds to many of the details in the popular legend.
The letter, written by Ada R. Bailey , states that the cast iron dog belonged to her grandfather, Charles R. Reese . Reese's children used to walk by the cast iron dog on Broad Street every day. The children loved the dog; they would hug it or climb on its back every time they passed it. Finally, Ada's grandfather bought it for his children and it was a "treasured family possession until it was put in the cemetery" to prevent being confiscated and reduced to bullets. The cast iron dog does mark the graves of the Reese children.
I included the smaller pictures to show how people have come to honor this tradition by leaving little tokens on the grave of the Reese children. I particularly like the spark plug on the left and the little stack of coins on the right.
I guess people leave what ever they have at the time as a tribute.