Oak Ridge Cemetery - Madison, FL
N 30° 28.423 W 083° 24.965
17R E 268055 N 3373759
Oak Ridge Cemetery is an 11-acre cemetery, the largest cemetery in Madison County, FL.
Waymark Code: WM895K
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 02/21/2010
Views: 4
From Florida - A Guide to the Southernmost State - Part III. The Florida Loop, Tour 7:
Oak Ridge Cemetery, a pioneer burial ground, contains tombstones bearing photographs of the deceased, a curious custom still common in rural communities among both Negroes and whites who cannot afford to have the likeness of the departed preserved on stone.
We only spotted one tombstone with a photo of the departed during our visit. That's not to say there aren't more still in existence, we just didn't spot them. The cemetery has an interesting zinc headstone (circa the mid-1800s) that marks the gravesites of seven members of the Vann Family, including the patriarch, two of his three wives, and four of his children.
An historical marker located at the entrance to the Oak Ridge Cemetery provides the following information about this historic cemetery: "An early community cemetery, Oak Ridge presents a profile of North Florida history. Located on approximately eleven acres, the cemetery was established on land donated by two pioneer citizens. Buried here are: William Archer Hammerly, Master Builder; Angus Paterson, former mayor of Madison and delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1885; Cary Augustus Hardee, Governor of Florida; Colin P. Kelly, Jr., World War II hero; and 31 Confederate Soldiers killed at the Battle of Olustee."