Oakwood Cemetery, originally called City Cemetery, is the oldest city-owned

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 ...

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

. Situated on a hill just east of

I-35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

that overlooks downtown Austin, just north of the Swedish Hill Historic District and south of Disch-Falk Field, the once-isolated site is now in the center of the city.

History

The cemetery dates from the mid-1850s. It may have begun even earlier, as legend states that its first tenants were victims of a

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...

attack whose bodies were laid to rest on the same hill. The cemetery was renamed Oakwood in 1907 per city ordinance. It spreads over , including an annex across Comal Street to the east, and includes sections historically dedicated to the city's black, Latino, and Jewish populations. Paupers were historically buried in unmarked graves on the cemetery's south side. Graves without permanent markers were subject to reburial after a given period. In 1914 the Oakwood Cemetery Mortuary Chapel was built on a design by Texas architect

Charles Henry Page Charles Henry Page (1876–1957) was an American architect. He and his brother Louis Charles Page (1883–1934) founded the Texas firm of Page Brothers, Architects (also known as C. H. Page & Bro.). The firm achieved great recognition when they w ...

as a site for memorial services. The chapel was later renovated and remodeled in 1944 under the direction of local architect J. Roy White. The cemetery became a

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the sta ...

in 1972 and was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1985; its annex was added on October 30, 2003. The view of the

Texas State Capitol The Texas State Capitol is the capitol and seat of government of the American state of Texas. Located in downtown Austin, Texas, the structure houses the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and of the Governor of Texas. Designed in 18 ...

from Comal Street in the center of the cemetery became one of the Capitol View Corridors protected under state and local law from obstruction by tall buildings in 1983. Despite its protected status, the cemetery has been subject to crime, vandalism, and decay for decades.

Notable burials

Wilmer Allison Wilmer Lawson Allison Jr. (December 8, 1904 – April 20, 1977) was an American amateur tennis champion of the 1930s. Allison's career was overshadowed by the arrival of Don Budge, although he was both a fine singles player and, along with his ...

(1904–1977) – Tennis player * John Barclay Armstrong (1850–1913) – Texas Ranger (

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

), U.S. Marshall, and rancher. Captured the notorious killer

John Wesley Hardin John Wesley Hardin (May 26, 1853 – August 19, 1895) was an American Old West outlaw, gunfighter, and controversial folk icon. Hardin often got into trouble with the law from an early age. He killed his first man at the age of 15, claiming h ...

. * Richard Bache Jr. who represented Galveston in the Senate of the Second Texas Legislature in 1847 and assisted in drawing up the

Texas Constitution The Constitution of the State of Texas is the document that establishes the structure and function of the government of the U.S. state of Texas, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of Texas. The current document was adopted on Febr ...

of 1845 * Thomas N. Barnes (1930–2003) Fourth Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force * Dr. Annie Webb Blanton (1870–1945) – First woman elected to statewide office in Texas. Served as State Superintendent for Public Instruction (1919–22) *

Albert S. Burleson Albert Sidney Burleson (June 7, 1863 – November 24, 1937) was a progressive Democrat who served as United States Postmaster General and Representative in Congress. He was a strong supporter of William Jennings Bryan and Woodrow Wilson, so Wil ...

(1863–1937) –

United States Postmaster General The United States Postmaster General (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency. The PMG is selected and appointed by ...

(1913–21) *

Florence Anderson Clark Florence Anderson Clark (, Anderson; June 10, 1835 – March 19, 1918) was an American author, newspaper editor, librarian, and university administrator. She served for 14 years as assistant librarian at the University of Texas (UT), and in honor ...

(1835–1918) – author, newspaper editor, librarian, university dean *

Oscar Branch Colquitt Oscar Branch Colquitt (December 16, 1861 – March 8, 1940) was the 25th Governor of Texas from January 17, 1911 to January 19, 1915. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Gov. Colquitt defended the actions of the Texas Rangers who alle ...

(1861–1940) –

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 ...

(1911–15) * Susanna Dickinson (1814–1883) –

Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Ant ...

survivor * John Crittenden Duval (1816–1897) – "Father of Texas Literature" *

John Henry Faulk John Henry Faulk (August 21, 1913 – April 9, 1990) was an American storyteller and radio show host. His successful lawsuit against the entertainment industry helped to bring an end to the Hollywood blacklist. Early life John Henry Faulk w ...

(1913–1990) – Radio personality * Rebecca Jane G. Fisher (1831–1926), the only woman elected to the Texas Veterans Association and its last surviving member, the first woman to have her portrait hung in the Senate Chamber at the Texas Capitol. *

James M. Goggin James Monroe Goggin (October 23, 1820 – October 10, 1889) was a Confederate States Army major and Assistant Adjutant General during the American Civil War (Civil War). He began his service as a major in the 32nd Virginia Volunteer Infantry R ...

(1820–1899) – CSA army officer * Thomas Green (1814–1864) –

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

general *

Thomas Watt Gregory Thomas Watt Gregory (November 6, 1861February 26, 1933) was an American politician and lawyer. He was a progressive and attorney who served as US Attorney General from 1914 to 1919 under US President Woodrow Wilson. Early life Gregory was born ...

(1861–1933) – US Attorney General (1914–19) *

Andrew J. Hamilton Andrew Jackson Hamilton (January 28, 1815 – April 11, 1875) was an American politician during the third quarter of the 19th century. He was a lawyer, state representative, military governor of Texas, as well as the 11th Governor of Texas during ...

(1815–1875) –

(1865–66) *

Morgan C. Hamilton Morgan Calvin Hamilton (February 25, 1809 – November 21, 1893) was an American merchant, politician from Alabama and Texas, and brother of Andrew Jackson Hamilton. Both men were unusual as Unionist (United States), Unionists in Texas during th ...

(1809–1893) –

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

(1870–77) *

John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the ...

(1824–1893) – Member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

(1871–85) * Ima Hogg (1882–1975) – Philanthropist *

James S. Hogg James Stephen "Jim" Hogg (March 24, 1851March 3, 1906) was an American lawyer and statesman, and the List of Governors of Texas, 20th Governor of Texas. He was born near Rusk, Texas. Hogg was a follower of the conservativism, conservative New ...

(1851–1906) –

(1891–95) *

Jacob Kuechler Jacob Kuechler (1823–1893) was surveyor, conscientious objector during the Civil War, and commissioner of the Texas General Land Office. Kuechler pioneered the science of Dendrochronology to date natural events. Early life and education Jacob ...

(1823–1893) — German immigrant, surveyor, conscientious objector during the Civil War *

George W. Littlefield George Washington Littlefield (June 21, 1842 – November 10, 1920) was a Confederate Army officer, cattleman, banker, and regent of the University of Texas. Born in Mississippi, Littlefield moved to Texas with his family when he was a ...

(1842–1920) – Cattleman, banker, University of Texas Regent *

John Lomax John Avery Lomax (September 23, 1867 – January 26, 1948) was an American teacher, a pioneering musicologist, and a folklorist who did much for the preservation of American folk music. He was the father of Alan Lomax, John Lomax Jr. and Bess Lo ...

(1867–1948) – Author and musicologist *

Hermann Lungkwitz Hermann Lungkwitz (1813–1891) was a 19th-century German-born Texas romantic landscape artist and photographer whose work became the first pictorial record of the Texas Hill Country. Early life Karl Friedrich Hermann Lungkwitz was born on Marc ...

(1813–1891) — Painter and photographer *

Henry Green Madison Henry Green Madison (1843 – May 31, 1912) was a civic leader in Austin, Texas, and the city's first African American city councilman. Arrival in Austin Madison came to Austin as a freedman in the early 1860s, and by 1863 had opened a shoem ...

(1843–1912) – First African-American City Councilman of Austin * Nimrod Lindsay Norton (1830–1903) – Confederate officer and politician, later prominent businessman *

Elisha M. Pease Elisha Marshall Pease (January 3, 1812 – August 26, 1883) was a Texas politician. He served as the fifth and 13th governor of Texas. Texas Republic A native of Enfield, Connecticut, Pease moved to Mexican Texas in 1835. He soon became active ...

(1812–1883) –

(1853—57, 1867–69) *

Oran M. Roberts Oran Milo Roberts (July 9, 1815May 19, 1898), was the 17th Governor of Texas from January 21, 1879, to January 16, 1883. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Roberts County, Texas, is named after him. Early life Roberts was born in Laure ...

(1815–1898) –

(1879–83) * Ben Thompson (1842–1884) – City Marshal of Austin *

William M. Walton William Martin Walton (January 17, 1832 – July 1, 1915) was a prominent lawyer in Austin, Texas. During the Civil War, Walton served as a major in the Confederate Army. After the war, he was elected attorney general of the state and also ...

(1832–1915) –

Attorney General of Texas The Texas attorney general is the chief legal officer
of the

(1866–67) * Charles S. West (1829–1885) –

Texas Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) is the supreme court, court of last resort for civil matters (including juvenile delinquency cases, which are categorized as civil under the Texas Family Code) in the U.S. state of Texas. A different court, the ...

justice and Secretary of State of Texas

References

External links

Austin Chronicle – "City of the Dead"
* * *

{{Authority control Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas City of Austin Historic Landmarks National Register of Historic Places in Austin, Texas Cemeteries in Austin, Texas Jewish cemeteries in Texas 1850s establishments in Texas