Shawsville, Va., Feb. 19—Old citizens here today were calling attention to what they described as the 100th anniversary of the burial of “Old Man Hancock,” whose body rests in a tomb on a hillside near here in a standing position.
According to the story, “Old Man Hancock” years ago owned a large plantation in the beautiful Roanoke river valley, upon which he worked many slaves. He expressed the wish that when he died his body be buried in a standing position so that he “might keep vigil over his slaves.” The slaves, according to the story, carried out the old man’s desires and buried him in a large white tomb, which stands conspicuously on a large hill. It is said that the slaves for many years were superstitious after the old man’s death and worked on the plantation with perhaps greater energy than they displayed when he was alive.
The tomb has become a place of interest for tourists, and is not far from the public highway.
From The Mount Airy News, Thursday, March 3, 1921. The photo is from VaGenWeb’s Montgomery County Photo Album, and was contributed to that site by Dorie Kincaid. There are many stories about the Hancock family. To see photos and read more stories, check out Frances Hunter’s blog at https://franceshunter.wordpress.com/2010/05/10/buried-sitting-up-and-a-fed-to-boot/.
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