The Hillsboro Cemetery Company was incorporated in April 1896 by seven local residents named James E. Clendening, J. Harry Thompson, W.D. Thompson, S.O. Clendening, R.W. Grubb, J.W.A. Virts and C.C. Bell. Land was acquired for the establishment of a cemetery near the Town of Hillsboro, Loudoun County, Virginia. Over the years since, several additional parcels of land were acquired and the cemetery grounds have grown in size to approximately eleven acres.

The cemetery is located at the intersection of Charles Town Pike (State Highway 9) and Hillsboro Road (State Road 690) on the eastern end of the Town of Hillsboro in western Loudoun County. This peaceful, historical cemetery has lovely views of the surrounding Short Hill and Blue Ridge Mountains.

In the early years, graves were hand-dug, usually by a man named Theodore Longerbeam who performed this task for many years, and later by Edward Utterback and Bob Hardy. Presently, the cemetery’s Superintendent digs graves with the aid of machinery. Many very old headstones can be found in the northern part of the grounds closer to Charles Town Pike.

Many families from the local area have buried their loved ones in the Hillsboro Cemetery over the years, but in present times, many people from outside the local area have seen fit to purchase gravesites for later burial when the time comes. At present, according to the Find-a-Grave website [a link to its site is included on our webpage], there are nearly 3,000 interred in the Hillsboro Cemetery.

In the latter part of the 20th Century, people surnamed Thompson, Grubb, Potts, Everhart and James served on the Board of Directors, and many of those names can be found on headstones throughout the cemetery. R. Lawrence Thompson served as President of the Board for nearly thirty years until he passed away in May 2009 at the age of 94. Many of the currently serving directors are descendants of earlier serving directors and members of families of long-standing in the local area.

A portion of the price paid for a gravesite includes perpetual care to be provided by the cemetery association. The Board members over the years have studiously invested these funds so as to provide such care now and in the future. The cemetery operates on the funds derived from gravesite sales, earnings on its investments, and donations. Donations and memorial contributions made to the Association are tax-deductible as charitable donations, and are welcomed from all generous donors.

Until recently, the Hillsboro Cemetery Company was operated as a stock corporation as it had been originally incorporated. In 2020, the original company was reorganized into a non-stock, not-for-profit tax-exempt association. This corporate reorganization was done to achieve better corporate governance and to achieve savings on annual income taxes that formerly were an obligation of the company. Having achieved tax-exempt and charitable-entity status, donations made to the Association, as stated above, are tax-deductible for the donor as charitable donations.

The Association is governed by a Board of Directors which appoints its officers who manage the routine affairs of the Association. Gravesites (single or multiple) are sold for full casket and vault burials or for burial of cremated remains. Gravesite pricing is adjusted from time to time by the Board. From the proceeds of these gravesite sales, any charitable donations, and the earnings on the investment of accumulated funds, the operating expenses of the cemetery are paid. Accumulated funds are maintained and invested for the perpetual care of the grounds and all gravesites within the cemetery. The Board seeks professional advice as needed from time to time for investment, accounting, and legal matters.

Regular mowings (approximately 26 time per growing season) maintain the grounds of the cemetery in a neat and pleasing appearance. Gravesite sales are conducted by Officers or the Superintendent of the cemetery, who can meet prospective purchasers by pre-arranged appointment. Burials are coordinated by the various funeral homes with the Superintendent who sees to the opening and closing of graves. Acquisition and installation of individual appropriate headstones to mark a grave are the responsibility of the purchaser of the gravesite or family members.

No pets or other animals may be buried in our cemetery.

The Board is preceeding with the installation of a columbarium within the cemetery in the Spring of 2022. The columbarium niches are available for purchase at this time.