Oakdale Cemetery is a cemetery in

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is t ...

that dates from the 19th century. Entrance To Oakdale Cemetery

History

Because existing cemeteries were becoming crowded, a group of citizens bought a 65-acre tract of land east of Burnt Mill Creek, east of the town limits. The first interment was Annie DeRosset, age 6, on February 5, 1855. Her father, John DeRosset, was a physician and the first president of the cemetery corporation.

Specialized sections

The cemetery has an enclosed Hebrew Cemetery, dating from 1855, as well as a Masonic section, at least one section for Odd Fellows, a section where the burials formerly at Front Street Methodist church were moved after an 1886 fire and a section for those with no other family.

Confederate Memorial

Along with regular grave sites for

Confederate soldiers The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

, a great burial mound was erected by the

United Daughters of the Confederacy The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, ...

for the dead Confederate soldiers from the

Second Battle of Fort Fisher The Second Battle of Fort Fisher was a successful assault by the Union Army, Navy and Marine Corps against Fort Fisher, south of Wilmington, North Carolina, near the end of the American Civil War in January 1865. Sometimes referred to as the "Gi ...

. Dedicated in 1872, a bronze statue of a regular soldier stands atop a large circular stone base. The dedication plaque reads, . According to the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

, as many as 367 unknown dead soldiers are buried under the mound.

Notable burials

Henry Bacon Henry Bacon (November 28, 1866February 16, 1924) was an American Beaux-Arts architect who is best remembered for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (built 1915–1922), which was his final project. Education and early career Henr ...

(1866–1924), architect * John D. Barry (1839–1867), Confederate Army officer *

Mary Lily Kenan Flagler Bingham Mary Lily Kenan Flagler Bingham (1867–1917) was an American philanthropist and heiress who became notorious when she married one of the richest men of the Gilded Age. Mary Lily outlived her first husband, Henry Flagler, inherited his huge fortu ...

(1867-1917), heiress and philanthropist * Arthur Bluethenthal (1891–1918), football player and member of the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...

* Ann Preston Bridgers (1891-1967), actress and playwright *

David Brinkley David McClure Brinkley (July 10, 1920 – June 11, 2003) was an American newscaster for NBC and ABC in a career lasting from 1943 to 1997. From 1956 through 1970, he co-anchored NBC's top-rated nightly news program, '' The Huntley–Brinkl ...

(1920–2003), newscaster *

Elisabeth Chant Elisabeth Augusta Chant (March 10, 1865 – September 21, 1947) was an American painter and teacher, noted especially for her landscapes. Early life and education Born in Yeovil, Somerset, Chant was the daughter of James Chant, a merchant captain ...

(1865–1947), painter * Thomas C. Darst (1875–1948), Episcopal bishop * George Davis (1820–1896), Confederate senator and

Confederate States Attorney General The Attorney General of the Confederate States of America was a member of the Confederate cabinet. The office of Attorney General of the Confederate States was created by the statute which established the Department of Justice. By the establishing ...

* Adam Empie (1785–1860), Episcopal priest and President of the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William I ...

Rose O'Neal Greenhow Rose O'Neal Greenhow (1813– October 1, 1864) was a renowned Confederate spy during the American Civil War. A socialite in Washington, D.C., during the period before the war, she moved in important political circles and cultivated friendsh ...

(1813–1864), socialite and Confederate spy *

Sarah Graham Kenan Sarah Graham Kenan (February 17, 1876 – March 16, 1968) was an American heiress and philanthropist. She inherited a third of her sister's share of the Standard Oil fortune in 1917 and established the Sarah Graham Kenan Foundation. Through her f ...

(1876–1968), heiress and philanthropist * William MacRae (1834–1882), Confederate Army officer *

Charles J. Mendelsohn Charles Jastrow Mendelsohn (December 8, 1880 – September 27, 1939) was an American cryptographer and classicist. He was the only child of Rabbi Samuel Mendelsohn and Esther Jastrow. He was born in Wilmington, North Carolina. Education He gradua ...

(1880–1939), professor * James Owen (1784–1865), U.S. Congressman *

Eliza Hall Nutt Parsley Eliza Hall "Hallie" Nutt Parsley (August 13, 1842 – June 11, 1920) was an American civic leader and educator. She worked as a school teacher after the American Civil War and established her own school for children in Wilmington, North Carolina i ...

(1842–1920), founding president of the NC Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy * M. Warley Platzek (1854–1932), lawyer and New York Supreme Court Justice *

James F. Post James F. Post (September 24, 1818 – July 15, 1899) was an architect, builder, and contractor who designed and oversaw the construction of over 60 buildings. He is most known for his buildings in Wilmington, North Carolina, including the Bellamy ...

(1818–1899), architect * Thomas Settle (1865–1919), U.S. Congressman * Alfred A. Watson (1818–1905), Episcopal bishop *

William H.C. Whiting William Henry Chase Whiting (March 22, 1824 – March 10, 1865) was a United States Army officer who resigned after 16 years of service in the Army Corps of Engineers to serve in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He ...

(1824–1865), Confederate Army officer

References

{{Coord, 34.24461, N, 77.93165, W, display=title Wilmington, North Carolina 1855 establishments in North Carolina Buildings and structures in Wilmington, North Carolina