Oakdale Cemetery is a cemetery in

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

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 (CSA), 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), fi ...

, 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, a ...

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 " ...

. 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 Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

, 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 oversaw the engineering and design of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., built between 1915 and 1922, which was his final project before his 1924 ...

(1866–1924), architect *

John D. Barry John Decatur Barry (June 21, 1839 – March 24, 1867) was an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The men he was leading at Chancellorsville mistakenly fired on Confederate General Stonewall Jackson, leading t ...

(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 fortun ...

(1867–1917), heiress and philanthropist *

Arthur Bluethenthal Arthur Bluethenthal, nicknamed "Bluey" (November 1, 1891 – June 5, 1918), was an All-American football player for Princeton University, who died in combat fighting for France in World War I. Early life The son of Leopold and Johanna Bluethenth ...

(1891–1918), football player and member of the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (, also known simply as , "the Legion") is a corps of the French Army created to allow List of militaries that recruit foreigners, foreign nationals into French service. The Legion was founded in 1831 and today consis ...

* 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–Brinkle ...

(1920–2003), newscaster * Elisabeth Chant (1865–1947), painter *

Thomas C. Darst Thomas Campbell Darst (November 10, 1875 – September 1, 1948) was the third Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina from 1915 to 1945. Early life and education Darst was born on November 10, 1875, in Pulaski, Virginia, the son of Major ...

(1875–1948), Episcopal bishop *

George Davis George Davis may refer to: Entertainment *George Davis (actor) (1889–1965), Dutch-born American actor *George Davis (art director) (1914–1998), American art director *George Davis (author) (1939), American novelist * George Davis (editor) (190 ...

(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 a statute which established the Department of Justice. By the establishing sta ...

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

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public university, public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III of England, William III and Queen ...

Rose O'Neal Greenhow Rose O'Neal Greenhow (1813– October 1, 1864) was a famous 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 friendship ...

(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 fo ...

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

(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 The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

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 *

Francis Edwin Shober Francis Edwin Shober (March 12, 1831 – May 29, 1896) was an American politician who served as U.S. Representative from North Carolina, secretary of the United States Senate, county judge, and a member of the North Carolina State House and Nor ...

(1831–1896), U.S. Congressman * Alfred A. Watson (1818–1905), Episcopal bishop * William H.C. Whiting (1824–1865), Confederate Army officer

References

External links

* {{Coord, 34.24461, N, 77.93165, W, display=title Cemeteries in New Hanover County, North Carolina 1855 establishments in North Carolina Buildings and structures in Wilmington, North Carolina Cemeteries established in the 1850s