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Decoration at Haw Orchard Baptist Church, Rugby, Virginia

These photographs were taken at Decoration at Haw Orchard Baptist Church, in Rugby, Grayson County on August 13, 1978. Decoration day, common throughout the New River Valley is largely not observed in other places, especially outside of Appalachia. On decoration day people who have relatives buried in a cemetery come together to place flowers on the graves of the dead, have dinner on the grounds, and get reacquainted. Often people travel hundreds of miles to attend these events. These photos, I hope, impart some of the impact of the event, although I have chosen photos of the cemetery itself, rather than of the crowds. – Jeff Weaver


Haw Orchard Baptist Church