The Eerie and Beautiful Stone Angels of Thornrose Cemetery

Thornrose Cemetery: Eccentric Figures and Enduring Legends of Staunton

Beyond the iron gates and beneath the old oaks, local tradition describes footsteps that resound after midnight and ghostly voices drifting across the hills. On mist-shrouded mornings, witnesses claim to see women in mourning black and catch the evanescent notes of a circus tune as it vanishes into the fog.

While Staunton’s Thornrose Cemetery is famous for its sweeping 19th-century vistas and imposing monuments, its historical character is genuinely defined by the unforgettable, unconventional, and tenacious individuals interred within its grounds. The following profiles showcase several of its most remarkable permanent residents.

Dr. Samuel Hite (The Snake-Oil Salesman)

Dr. Hite embodied the entrepreneurial vigor of the 19th century, running a prosperous patent medicine enterprise in Staunton. He amassed significant wealth by touting "Hite’s Pain Cure," a concoction he brazenly insisted could remedy nearly any illness.

According to local rumor, Dr. Hite once dared a skeptic to swallow a whole bottle of his remedy in the middle of Market Street, vowing it would instantly cure the man’s lameness. Spectators reportedly watched as the man, perhaps emboldened and possibly intoxicated, broke into a clumsy dance to the crowd's delight. Regardless of the cure's validity, this public spectacle sharply boosted Dr. Hite’s sales and secured his colorful reputation.

Lorenzo Sibert (The Inventor)

On the eve of the Civil War, Sibert engineered "The Virginia Pacificator," a rapid-fire weapon said to fire 48 rounds without reloading. Some claim that mass production could have altered the war's fate.

However, historians still debate whether the weapon was ever completed, as no prototype remains. Archives suggest Sibert produced only sketches and rough models, leaving the real effect of his invention in doubt.

Denis Shanahan (The Tunnel Builder)

As a first-generation Irish immigrant and self-taught engineer, Shanahan was vital in building the Blue Ridge Tunnel, a central project linking the Shenandoah Valley to the rest of Virginia.

Marguiretta de Crescioli (The Madam)

Marguiretta de Crescioli (The Madam). De Crescioli is remembered as one of western Virginia’s most prominent madams, operating a distinguished brothel in Charlottesville before her interment in Staunton. Local legend recounts that she once hosted a masquerade so grand that city officials considered canceling their own annual ball to avoid comparison.

Accounts suggest she could persuade influential figures, including senators and judges. Narratives regarding her wit, style, and influence have endured, outlasting even the rose bushes planted at her grave.

C.G. Sell (The Stallion Owner)

In sharp contrast to his prosperous cemetery neighbors, Sell lived in hardship in a humble shack by the fairgrounds. Despite scant means, he devoted all he had to caring for a prized black stallion.

General Robert Porterfield (The Revolutionary)

Though Thornrose Cemetery is known for Civil War burials, Porterfield stands alone as its only identified Revolutionary War officer. He survived the brutal winter at Valley Forge.

Bessie Weller (The Pioneer Nurse)

Weller served as Staunton’s inaugural school nurse and led efforts to transform the health and hygiene of the city's children. Her influence remains in the Bessie Weller Elementary School, which bears her name.

Eva Clark (The Trapeze Artist)

Clark, a young performer with the Cole Brothers Circus, was fatally shot in 1906 and abandoned by her troupe. For decades, circus artists visited Thornrose Cemetery to lay flowers on her grave; local accounts say these bouquets often featured a vivid red feather as tribute. In recent years, an anonymous visitor has continued to leave a single white rose and a handwritten note each Christmas. The ink sometimes runs in December rain, leaving only the closing: "Gone but never forgotten."