Oak Ridge Cemetery is an American
cemetery
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...
in
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...
.
The
Lincoln Tomb
The Lincoln Tomb is the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States; his wife Mary Todd Lincoln; and three of their four sons: Edward, William, and Thomas. It is located in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfiel ...
, where
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
,
his wife and all but one of their children lie, is here, as are the graves of other prominent
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
figures. Thus, it is the second-most visited cemetery in the United States, after
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
. Opened in 1860, it was the third and is now the only public cemetery in Springfield, after the City Cemetery and Hutchinson.
[National Register of Historic Places]
The cemetery was designed by William Saunders in the Rural Cemetery Landscape Lawn style.
The location was chosen for its topography, including rolling hills, key to this style. The many eponymous oak trees cover a ridge bordering low-lying
Spring Creek
A spring creek is a type of free flowing river whose name derives from its origin: an underground spring or set of springs which produces sufficient water to consistently feed a unique river. The water flowing in a spring creek may additionally be ...
, a landscape unusual in central Illinois. The newest, southwest section opened after 1945. Its design follows the Memorial Park style, in which roadways are wide enough for motor vehicles.
Oak Ridge has a
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
memorial, the
World War II Illinois Veterans Memorial The World War II Illinois Veterans Memorial is the official memorial of the U.S. state of Illinois maintained in honor of veterans of the war, as well as those bereaved during the course of the conflict. 987,000 Illinois residents served in uniform ...
and the
Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The
Springfield and Central Illinois African-American History Museum is adjacent.
Notable burials
*
William Henry Bissell
William Henry Bissell (April 25, 1811March 18, 1860) was the 11th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1857 until his death. He was one of the first successful Republican Party candidates in the U.S., winning the election of 1856 just two ...
*
Jacob Bunn
:''This article concerns John Whitfield Bunn, Jacob Bunn, and the entrepreneurs who were interconnected with the Bunn brothers through association or familial and genealogical connection.''
John Whitfield Bunn (June 21, 1831 – June 7, 1920)Ill ...
*
John Whitfield Bunn
:''This article concerns John Whitfield Bunn, Jacob Bunn, and the entrepreneurs who were interconnected with the Bunn brothers through association or familial and genealogical connection.''
John Whitfield Bunn (June 21, 1831 – June 7, 1920)Ill ...
*
Daniel Pope Cook
Daniel Pope Cook (1794 – October 16, 1827) was a politician, lawyer and newspaper publisher from the U.S. state of Illinois. An anti-slavery advocate, he was the state's first attorney general, and then congressman. Cook County, Illinois, is ...
*
John Cook
*
Shelby Moore Cullom
Shelby Moore Cullom (November 22, 1829 – January 28, 1914) was a U.S. political figure, serving in various offices, including the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate and the 17th Governor of Illinois.
Life and ca ...
*
Jesse K. Dubois
Jesse Kilgore Dubois (sometimes styled DuBois) (January 14, 1811 – November 22, 1876) was an American politician from Illinois. The son of a prominent early Illinois citizen, Dubois was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives while he w ...
*
Ninian Edwards
Ninian Edwards (March 17, 1775July 20, 1833) was a founding political figure of the State of Illinois. He served as the first and only governor of the Illinois Territory from 1809 to until the territory was dissolved in 1818. He was then one of ...
, only governor of the
Illinois Territory
The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. Its ca ...
*
William Lee D. Ewing
William Lee Davidson Ewing (August 31, 1795 – March 25, 1846) was a politician from Illinois who served partial terms as the fifth governor of the state and as U.S. Senator.
Ewing was born in Paris, Kentucky and practiced law in Shawnee ...
*
Nellie Grant
Ellen Wrenshall "Nellie" Grant (July 4, 1855 – August 30, 1922) was the third child and only daughter of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant and First Lady Julia Grant. At the age of 16, Nellie was sent abroad to England by President Grant, and was ...
– daughter of President Ulysses S. Grant
*
William Herndon
*
Elijah Iles
Elijah Iles (March 28, 1796 – September 4, 1883) was an American businessman, pioneer, and politician who was one of the first settlers of Springfield, Illinois. He was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1826 and fought in the Winnebago War, Win ...
*
William Jayne
William A. Jayne (October 8, 1826March 20, 1916) was an American politician and physician. He served as Governor of the Dakota Territory and as the territory's delegate to the United States House of Representatives during the American Civil War.
...
*
John L. Lewis
John Llewellyn Lewis (February 12, 1880 – June 11, 1969) was an American leader of organized labor who served as president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) from 1920 to 1960. A major player in the history of coal mining, he was the d ...
- President of the
United Mine Workers
The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing workers and public employees in the Unit ...
from 1919 to 1960
*
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
– sixteenth President of the United States during the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
*
Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (December 13, 1818July 16, 1882) served as First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.
Mary Lincoln was a member of a large and wealthy, slave-owning ...
– Abraham's wife
*
Fleetwood Lindley
After Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, a three-week series of events was held to mourn the death and memorialize the life of the 16th president of the United States. Funeral services, a procession, and a lying in state were ...
– the last person to have looked upon Lincoln's face in September 1901
*
Vachel Lindsay
Nicholas Vachel Lindsay (; November 10, 1879 – December 5, 1931) was an American poet. He is considered a founder of modern ''singing poetry,'' as he referred to it, in which verses are meant to be sung or chanted.
Early years
Lindsay was born ...
*
John Alexander McClernand
John Alexander McClernand (May 30, 1812 – September 20, 1900) was an American lawyer and politician, and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. He was a prominent Democratic politician in Illinois and a member of the United States H ...
*
Alfred Orendorff
Alfred Orendorff (20 July 1845 – 22 October 1909) was an Illinois lawyer and politician.
Biography
Alfred Orendorff was born in Logan County, Illinois, on July 20, 1845, the son of Joseph Orendorff and Elizabeth (Stevens) Orendorff. Joseph O ...
*
John Carroll Power
John Carroll Power (September 19, 1819 – January 11, 1894) was an American historian who served as the first custodian of the tomb of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois, ...
– first custodian of Lincoln's Tomb
*
Alexander Starne –
Illinois Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of Illinois is one of the six elected executive state offices of the government of Illinois, and one of the 47 secretaries of states in the United States. The Illinois Secretary of State keeps the state records, laws, libr ...
and
Illinois Treasurer
The Treasurer of Illinois is an elected official of the U.S. state of Illinois. The office was created by the Constitution of Illinois.
Current Occupant
The current Treasurer of Illinois is Democrat Mike Frerichs. He was first elected to head t ...
*
John T. Stuart
John Todd Stuart (November 10, 1807 – November 28, 1885) was a lawyer and a U.S. Representative from Illinois.
Born near Lexington, Kentucky, Stuart graduated from Centre College, Danville, Kentucky, in 1826. He then studied law, was ...
– U.S. Congressman, lawyer, law partner of Abraham Lincoln
*
John Riley Tanner
John Riley Tanner (April 4, 1844 – May 23, 1901) was the 21st Governor of Illinois, from 1897 until 1901.
Tanner was the first governor in the country to be openly neutral in labor disputes, gaining national notoriety for his actions in a s ...
*
Arthur Harrison Wilson (Medal of Honor)
Gallery
Image:Illinois Korean War Memorial.JPG, Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
Memorial
Image:Koreanil02.jpg, Close up of Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
Memorial
Image:Koreanil03.jpg, Battle of Chosin Reservoir
The Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as the Chosin Reservoir Campaign or the Battle of Lake Changjin (), was an important battle in the Korean War. The name "Chosin" is derived from the Japanese pronunciation "''Chōshin'', instead of t ...
Memorial
Image:Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial.JPG, Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Image:Vietnamil02.jpg, Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
Memorial close up
File:WWII IL 01.jpg, World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
Memorial
Image:Wwii02.jpg, The European Theater side of the World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
Memorial
Image:Lincoln's Tomb, Interior.JPG, Lincoln's Tomb
The Lincoln Tomb is the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States; his wife Mary Todd Lincoln; and three of their four sons: Edward, William, and Thomas. It is located in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, ...
Burial room
Image:Lincoln's tomb, custodian's residence.JPG, Lincoln's Tomb
The Lincoln Tomb is the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States; his wife Mary Todd Lincoln; and three of their four sons: Edward, William, and Thomas. It is located in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, ...
Custodian's Residence
Image:John Riley Tanner's tomb.JPG, Governor John Riley Tanner's tomb
References
External links
Illinois Ancestors- Oak Ridge Cemetery
Oak Ridge Cemetery- City of Springfield
Graveyards.com - photosFind a Grave- Oak Ridge Cemetery
{{National Register of Historic Places
Cemeteries in Illinois
Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois
Monuments and memorials in Illinois
National Register of Historic Places in Springfield, Illinois
Tourist attractions in Springfield, Illinois
Abraham Lincoln
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois
Rural cemeteries
Tombs of presidents of the United States