Oakwood Cemetery is a cemetery in

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...

, in which three governors of Texas are buried.

History

Founded in 1878, to relieve crowded conditions at Waco's main, First Street Cemetery, the cemetery was built on the site of an abandoned horse racing track. Many interred remains from other early local graveyards were moved here because of the better maintenance of these grounds. Since 1898, the Oakwood Cemetery Association, a private group, has operated this tract, although the land remains the property of the city. The board of directors of the association consists of women only, as provided in the original by-laws.Texas Historical Marker

/ref> The cemetery is characterised by tree-lined streets, large monuments and angels.

Notable burials

William Cowper Brann William Cowper Brann (January 4, 1855 – April 1, 1898) was an American journalist known as Brann the Iconoclast and famous for the articulate savagery of his writing. Early life The son of Presbyterian minister Noble J. Brann, he was born in ...

(1855–1898), Crusading journalist, and playwright. Editor of the ''Iconoclast''. *

Rufus Columbus Burleson Rufus Columbus Burleson (August 7, 1823 – May 14, 1901) was the president of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, from 1851 to 1861 and again from 1886 to 1897. Biography Burleson was born near Decatur in northern Alabama. In 1840, he moved to Na ...

(1823–1901), President of Baylor University twice, 1851–1861 and 1886–1897. *

Richard Coke Richard Coke (March 18, 1829May 14, 1897) was an American lawyer and statesman from Waco, Texas. He was the 15th governor of Texas from 1874 to 1876 and was a US Senator from 1877 to 1895. His governorship is notable for reestablishing local ...

(1829–1897), Twice elected

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, who ...

, United States Senator. Coke is buried near his “friend through eternity”, David Richard Wallace. Their life-size statues face each other. Interred at Lot 66, block 1. *

Hallie Earle Hallie Earle (1880–1963) was the first licensed female physician in Waco, Texas. In 1907, she was the only female graduate of the Baylor University Medical School in Dallas. Her private medical practice served the community of Waco for over thr ...

(1880–1963), First licensed female physician in

Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...

, only female graduate of 1907 Baylor University Medical School in Dallas. *

Frank Shelby Groner Frank Shelby Groner (1877–1943) was a lawyer, pastor of Baptist churches, chairman of the Southern Baptist Hospital Commission, executive secretary of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, director of fund-raising in Texas for the Southern Bapt ...

(1877–1943), President of College of Marshall. * Thomas Harrison (1823–1891),

Confederate States Army 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 ...

general. *

Neil McLennan Neil McLennan (September 2, 1777, 1778, or 1787 – 1867) was an early Scottish-American settler of Texas. McLennan County, Texas, was named for him. McLennan was born on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. In 1801, he and a large group of family ...

(ca. 1777–1867), Namesake of

McLennan County McLennan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 260,579 . Its county seat and largest city is Waco. The U.S. census 2021 county population estimate is 263,115. The county i ...

, Texas pioneer of Scottish birth. *

Patrick Morris Neff Pat Morris Neff (November 26, 1871 – January 20, 1952) was an American politician, educator and administrator, and the 28th Governor of Texas from 1921 to 1925, ninth President of Baylor University from 1932 to 1947, and twenty-fifth presid ...

(1871–1952), Governor of Texas and President of

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...

. Interred at Lot 149, section F. *

Felix Huston Robertson Felix Huston Robertson (March 9, 1839 – April 20, 1928) was the only native-born Texan to serve as a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was noted for the controversial behavior of his troops at the Batt ...

(1839–1928),

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

brigadier general. *

Jerome B. Robertson Jerome Bonaparte Robertson (March 14, 1815 – January 7, 1890) was a doctor, Indian fighter, Texas politician, and a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was noted for his service in the famed Texas Brigade ...

(1815–1890),

colonel and temporary brigadier general. *

Lawrence Sullivan Ross Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross (September 27, 1838January 3, 1898) was the 19th governor of Texas, a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, and the seventh president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, now ...

(1838–1898), Namesake of

Sul Ross State University Sul Ross State University (SRSU) is a public university in Alpine, Texas. The main campus is the primary institution of higher education serving the nineteen-county Big Bend region of far West Texas. Branch campuses, branded as Rio Grande Colleg ...

, United States Senator,

, President of

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

. Texas Ranger who recaptured

Cynthia Ann Parker Cynthia Ann Parker (October 28, 1827 – March 1871), also known as Naduah (Comanche: ''Narua''), was a white woman who was notable for having been captured during the Fort Parker massacre at about age nine, by a Comanche war band and adopted in ...

Brigadier General. Interred at Lot 5, block 1. * Edgar E. Witt (1876–1965), Lieutenant Governor of Texas 1931-1935, Chair

American-Mexican Claims Commission The American-Mexican Claims Commission, officially known as the General Claims Commission (Mexico and United States,) was a commission set up by treaty that adjudicated claims by citizens of the United States and Mexico for losses suffered due to th ...

, Chief Commissioner

Indian Claims Commission The Indian Claims Commission was a judicial relations arbiter between the United States federal government and Native American tribes. It was established under the Indian Claims Act of 1946 by the United States Congress to hear any longstanding clai ...

. * James E. Yantis (1856–1918), Justice of the Texas Supreme Court.

References

{{Coord, 31.538, -97.112, display=title Cemeteries in Texas Geography of Waco, Texas Protected areas of McLennan County, Texas 1878 establishments in Texas Tourist attractions in Waco, Texas