The Oak Grove Cemetery, originally known as the Presbyterian Cemetery, is located on South Main Street in downtown Lexington,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, less than a mile from the campuses of

Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...

and the

Virginia Military Institute The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the U.S. In k ...

. The cemetery was renamed in 1949 as the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery after the Confederate general, who was buried here in 1863. The current name dates to September 3, 2020. Also buried here are 144 Confederate veterans, two Governors of Virginia, and Margaret Junkin Preston, the "Poet Laureate of the Confederacy".

Name

The cemetery was first known as the Presbyterian Cemetery. After the

Lexington Presbyterian Church Lexington Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian church building at Main and Nelson Streets in Lexington, Virginia. It was designed by architect Thomas U. Walter in 1843, and completed in 1845. A rear addition was built in 1859; stucc ...

conveyed the cemetery to the city in 1949, the cemetery was renamed later that year for the

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

general

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general and military officer who served during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role in nearly all military engagements in the eastern the ...

, who was interred there after his death on May 10, 1863. The Lexington City Council unanimously voted to rename the cemetery in 2020 following the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...

, and the renaming was unanimously approved on September 3.

Notable burials

Jackson and his family

The plot of Jackson and his family received a sculpture of Jackson in 1891, created by sculptor Edward V. Valentine. The plot includes graves of: * Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (1824–1863): VMI instructor, Confederate Army lieutenant general, commander of

Second Corps, Army of Northern Virginia The Second Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia was a military organization within the Confederate States Army, Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during much of the American Civil War. It was officially created and named following the Battle ...

* Elinor Junkin Jackson (1825–1854): Jackson's first wife, died in childbirth; buried with their stillborn son * Mary Anna Morrison Jackson (1831–1915): Jackson's second wife * Thomas and Anna Morrison Jackson's two daughters: ** Mary Graham Jackson (infant – 1858) ** Julia Laura Jackson Christian (1862–1889) and her husband William Edmund Christian (1856–1936) * Thomas Jonathan Jackson Christian Sr. (1888–1952): William and Julia Christian's second child, U.S. Army brigadier general **

Cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...

for his son Thomas Jonathan Jackson Christian Jr. (1915–1944), U.S. Army colonel, killed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

(believed buried at Faubourg-d'Amiens Cemetery,

Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...

, France)

Others

John White Brockenbrough John White Brockenbrough (December 23, 1806 – February 20, 1877) was a Virginia attorney, law professor, U.S. District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, and Confederate States congressman and distric ...

(1806–1870): Federal judge, Confederate Congressman, founder of the

School of Law A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for bec ...

at Washington College (now

) *

John Mercer Brooke John Mercer Brooke (December 18, 1826 – December 14, 1906) was an American sailor, engineer, scientist, and educator. He was instrumental in the creation of the Transatlantic Cable, and was a noted marine and military innovator. Early lif ...

(1826–1906): Sailor, engineer, inventor, commander in the

Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...

* Benjamin Darst (1760–1835): Revolutionary War Soldier, noted Architect / Builder of Lexington Landmark Structures * John William Elrod (1939–2001): President, Washington and Lee University *

William Gilham William Henry Gilham (January 13, 1818 – November 16, 1872) was an American soldier, teacher, chemist, and author. A member of the faculty at Virginia Military Institute, in 1860, he wrote a military manual which was still in modern use 145 yea ...

(1818–1872): VMI instructor, Confederate Army colonel *

George Junkin The Reverend George Junkin (November 1, 1790 – May 20, 1868) was an American educator and Presbyterian minister who served as the first and third president of Lafayette College and later as president of Miami University and Washington College ...

(1790–1868), Presbyterian minister and educator, President of Washington College (now Washington and Lee University), father of Elinor Junkin Jackson * Beverly Tucker Lacy (1819–1900), Presbyterian minister, chaplain of Jackson's

* Edwin Gray Lee (1836–1870): Confederate Army general, member of Jackson's staff *

John Letcher John Letcher (March 29, 1813January 26, 1884) was an American lawyer, journalist, and politician. He served as a Representative in the United States Congress, was the 34th Governor of Virginia during the American Civil War, and later served in ...

(1813–1884):

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The Governor (United States), governor is head of the Government_of_Virginia#Executive_branch, executive branch ...

(1860–1864) * Charles McDowell, Jr. (1926–2010): Journalist, regular panelist on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

series ''

Washington Week in Review ''Washington Week'', originally titled as ''Washington Week in Review'' and billed as ''Washington Week with the Atlantic'' since 2023, is an American public affairs television program, which has aired on PBS and its predecessor, National Educa ...

'' *

James McDowell James McDowell (October 13, 1795 – August 24, 1851) was the 29th Governor of Virginia from 1843 to 1846 and was a U.S. Congressman from 1846 to 1851. Biography McDowell was born at "Cherry Grove," near Rockbridge County, Virginia, on ...

(1795–1851):

(1843–1846),

Congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

(1846–51) * Elisha Franklin Paxton (1828–1863): Confederate Army general, commander of the

Stonewall Brigade The Stonewall Brigade of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, was a famous combat unit in United States military history. It was trained and first led by General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, a professor from Virginia Military Ins ...

, killed at Chancellorsville * Alexander Swift "Sandie" Pendleton (1840–1864): Confederate Army lieutenant colonel, member of Jackson's,

Ewell Ewell ( , ) is a town in Surrey, England, south of Centre of London, central London and northeast of Epsom. At the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 Census, it had a population of 34,872. The majority (73%) was in the NRS social grade, ABC1 ...

's and

Early Early may refer to: Places in the United States * Early, Iowa, a city * Early, Texas, a city * Early Branch, a stream in Missouri * Early County, Georgia * Fort Early, Georgia, an early 19th century fort Music * Early B, stage name of Jamaican d ...

's staffs, killed at Fisher's Hill *

William Nelson Pendleton William Nelson Pendleton (December 26, 1809 – January 15, 1883) was an American teacher, Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal priest, and Confederate soldier. He served as a Confederate States of America, Confederate General officer, ...

(1809–1883): Episcopal priest, Confederate Army brigadier general, chief of artillery,

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was a field army of the Confederate States Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed agains ...

, father of Sandie Pendleton * William Thomas Poague (1835-1914):

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

officer serving in the

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He later served as Treasurer of the

. *

John Thomas Lewis Preston John Thomas Lewis Preston (April 25, 1811 – July 15, 1890) was an American educator and military officer from Virginia. He was a primary founder and organizer of the Virginia Military Institute, and was one of its first two faculty members. ...

(1811–1890): Founder and organizer of

* Margaret Junkin Preston (1820–1897): Called unofficially "Poet Laureate of the Confederacy"; daughter of George Junkin *

Absalom Willis Robertson Absalom Willis Robertson (May 27, 1887 – November 1, 1971) was an American politician from Virginia who served in public office for over 50 years. A member of the Democratic Party and lukewarm ally of the Byrd Organization led by fellow U.S. S ...

(1887–1971): U.S. Senator, father of evangelist

Pat Robertson Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson (March 22, 1930 – June 8, 2023) was an American Media proprietor, media mogul, Televangelism, televangelist, political commentator, presidential candidate, and charismatic movement, charismatic minister. Rober ...

* George R. E. Shell (1908–1996): Ninth superintendent of VMI, Marine Corps Brigadier General *

Scott Shipp Scott Shipp (also spelled Ship, born Charles Robert Scott Ship) (August 2, 1839 – December 4, 1917) was an American military figure, Confederate States Army officer, educator and educational administrator born in Warrenton, Virginia. He was the ...

(1839–1917): Commandant of the VMI Corps of Cadets at the

Battle of New Market The Battle of New Market was fought on May 15, 1864, in Virginia during the Valley Campaigns of 1864 in the American Civil War. A makeshift Confederate army of 4,100 men defeated the larger Army of the Shenandoah under Major General Franz S ...

, second superintendent of VMI *

Francis Henney Smith Francis Henney Smith (October 18, 1812 – March 21, 1890) was an American military officer, mathematician and educator. After graduating from West Point and a brief service in the United States Army, he became the first Superintendent of the ...

(1812–1890): First superintendent of VMI, Confederate Army colonel, Virginia militia major general * William D. Washington (1833–1870): Painter, instructor at VMI * John Delane Wilson (1931–2013): President of

(1983–1995) and

Wells College Wells College was a private liberal arts college in Aurora, New York, a village in the Finger Lakes region of the state. From its founding in 1868 until it became coeducational in 2005, Wells was a women's college. The college maintained acad ...

(1969–1975); first Rhodes Scholar from

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

and member of their national championship football teams

References

External links

* * {{GNIS, type=retired, 1780314, Oak Grove Cemetery

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

Tourist attractions in Lexington, Virginia

Cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

Confederate States of America monuments and memorials in Virginia Confederate States of America cemeteries Name changes due to the George Floyd protests