Oaklawn Cemetery is the first public burial ground in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, United States. The location was deeded in the mid-19th century and was described as the final resting place for "White and Slave, Rich and Poor." Oaklawn Cemetery is located at the intersection of Morgan Street and Harrison Street in

downtown Tampa Downtown Tampa is the central business district of Tampa, Florida, United States, and the chief financial district of the Tampa Bay Area. It is second only to Westshore regarding employment in the area. Companies with a major presence downtown ...

, about two blocks South of

I-275 Interstate 275 (I-275) may refer to: *Interstate 275 (Florida), a loop through Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Bradenton in Florida *Interstate 275 (Michigan), a western bypass of Detroit, Michigan *Interstate 275 (Ohio–Indiana–Kentucky), a full belt ...

. It has approximately 1,700 graves. Oaklawn Cemetery includes a section for Catholic burials called St. Louis Catholic Cemetery. The two graveyards were added as a Historic District to the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

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 ...

on September 19, 2017. The Sexton House was used for equipment storage and maintenance activities. The cemetery was of the " Rural Cemetery" style. The First Mayor of the City of Tampa, Judge Joseph B. Lancaster, is buried at Oaklawn, as is the 6th mayor,

James McKay Sr. James McKay Sr. (May 17, 1808 – November 11, 1876) was a cattleman, ship captain, and the sixth mayor of Tampa, Florida. McKay is memorialized with a bronze bust on the Tampa Riverwalk, along with other historical figures prominent in th ...

Others include pirates, slaves,

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

epidemic victims and confederate soldiers. Notable areas and gravesites in the cemetery include the gravesites of

Henry Laurens Mitchell Henry Laurens Mitchell (September 3, 1831 – October 14, 1903) was an American lawyer, judge, and politician. He served as the 16th Governor of Florida (1893–1897). Mitchell was born near Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama. His famil ...

John T. Lesley John Thomas Lesley (May 12, 1835 – July 13, 1913) was a cattleman and pioneer in Tampa, Florida. He fought in the Third Seminole War and was a captain in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Lesley formed his own volunteer company t ...

Family, Samuel Friebele,

Charlie Wall Charles McKay Wall (March 10, 1880 – April 18, 1955) was an American businessman, mobster, and political figure who was a rival of reputed mobsters Santo Trafficante Sr. and Santo Trafficante Jr. His parents were John Perry Wall and M ...

, the Hooker Family, James McKay Jr., James C. Field, Joseph B. Lancaster, the Krause Family, the Wall Family, mass graves, gravesite of James T. Magbee, the gravesites of William and Nancy Ashley, gravesites of John P. Wall,

James Gettis James Gettis (May 4, 1816 – December 14, 1867) was a lawyer and judge in Tampa, Florida. He was the second lawyer in Tampa. Gettis was also a city councilman, and state representative, and the first town clerk. Originally from Pennsylva ...

, grave art, and the "Cradle Graves."Oaklawn Walking Tour
Tampa Parks and Recreation

Saint Louis Catholic Cemetery

The northwest section is actually a separate cemetery known as Saint Louis Catholic Cemetery. Established in 1874, it had its own entry gates and was for many years completely separated from Oaklawn by an iron fence. Among those buried in the St. Louis section are the founder of

Ybor City Ybor City ( ) is a historic neighborhood just northeast of downtown Tampa, downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It was founded in the 1880s by Vicente Martinez-Ybor and other cigar manufacturers and populated by thousands of immigrants, mainly ...

Vicente Martinez Ybor Vicente Martinez Ybor (7 September 1818 – 14 December 1896), was a Spanish entrepreneur who first became a noted industrialist and cigar manufacturer in Cuba, then Key West, and finally Tampa, Florida. Martinez Ybor is best known for his found ...

, five pioneer priests (three of whom died in a 15-day period during the 1887 yellow fever epidemic) and

Cecilia Morse Charcila Cecilia Moore (June 3, 1838 – June 13, 1926) was a pioneer of Catholic education in Florida and a citrus farmer. She was born in Anahuac, Texas and educated in Baltimore. She was married to attorney Charles Nathan Morse (son of Louisiana ...

, the foundress of Catholic parochial education in the Tampa Bay area. A few remnants of the fence are still visible including several brick fence posts with marble finials, the original driveways and the gates that serviced only the St. Louis section. In 2010 and 2011, the

Diocese of Saint Petersburg The Diocese of Saint Petersburg ( la, Dioecesis Sancti Petri in Florida) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Florida. It comprises , encompassing Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus co ...

added Catholic Heritage Markers to the cemetery recognizing the contributions of both Mrs. Morse and the pioneer priests, as well as a site map which delineates the "Saint Louis section" of the graveyard.

Sexton House

The Sexton House, formerly known as the Pavilion or Gazebo, was constructed in 1910 for caretaker tools and equipment. The word "sexton" is from the Latin "''sacristanus''" which means "someone who looks after the sacred objects."

Darwin Branch Givens

A gravesite for Darwin Branch Givens (born 1858 - died 1942) includes a marble marker at the gravesite inscribed: ::As a young ::child, he ::alerted Tampa ::of the ::invading ::Yankee ::soldiers with ::the cry "the ::devils are ::coming." 1864 ::Early Oaklawn ::Conservator"

Image gallery

Image:Uss sagamore.jpg, USS ''Sagamore'' marker Image:Capt a black.jpg, Captain Black, Died at Sea Image:John p wall.jpg, John P. Wall, 15th Mayor of Tampa Image:102 unknown.jpg, 102 Unknown Monument Image:First mayor of tampa.jpg,

Joseph Lancaster Joseph Lancaster (25 November 1778 – 23 October 1838) was an English Quaker and public education innovator. He developed, and propagated on the grounds both of economy and efficacy, a monitorial system of primary education. In the first deca ...

, First Mayor of Tampa, grave Image:Kennedy monument.jpg, Kennedy Monument Image:Collier.jpg, Coller Marker, Tampa's First Settlers Image:John mccormick.jpg, John McCormick, Tampa PD's first officer killed in the line of duty Image:CSA unknown soldier.jpg, Confederate Unknown Soldier Image:Mr hubbard pirate grave.jpg, Pirate Grave Image:Slave grave.jpg, Lesley Family Slave Grave, No name listed Image:Yellow fever monument.jpg,

Yellow Fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

Monument Image:John miller.jpg, Sgt John Miller, WWII Image:Master and servant.jpg, William and Nancy Ashley, Master and Servant grave

References

External links

List of Persons Interred at Oaklawn

St Petersburg Times article on Oaklawn

Notable people buried at Oaklawn Cemetery

Pioneer Priests' Graves and St. Louis Cemetery map

Cecelia Morse Grave and DOSP Historic Marker
{{Tampa, Florida Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida National Register of Historic Places in Tampa, Florida