The first thing anyone visiting the grave of William Sydney Porter (O. Henry) in Riverside Cemetery will notice are the pennies placed on the top of his headstone. Which always begs the question, why? Though no one is sure of exactly when the tradition was started or by who, we know that for the past thirty years people having been leaving $1.87 in change on the monument. Why that amount? The answer lies in the opening line of O. Henry’s most popular short story, The Gift of the Magi.
One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next Day would be Christmas.
There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.
-O. Henry in The Gift of the Magi
The change is gathered up quarterly and donated to local library funds as a tribute to America’s master of the surprise ending. So next time you’re in Riverside, stop by the grave of this great author and spare a little change for O. Henry…
Historic Riverside Cemetery 
I took this same picture!! I have his book of short stories and love them!! Your cemetery is absolutely beautiful and we really enjoyed walking the grounds of it and looking at all the gravestones.
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This was my first visit to Riverside Cemetery here in Asheville. . . I have regretted not coming sooner. What a beautiful cemetery. O’Henry (William Sidney Porter) has always been one of my favorite authors and I have taught several of his short stories in my teaching career of 34 years. It was a special moment for me to find his grave.
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