The dedicated Woodmen of the World Cemetery in Dallas' historic Oakland Cemetery is located in Section 11, directly across from the Peace garden, catty-corner from Elk's Rest, the cemetery for members of that fraternal organization.
An impressive marble woodmen memorial anchors the cemetery, which is in plot 69, immediately adjacent to Walnut Avenue. It was installed along with 22 other monuments for deceased members here in 1914, as part of a larger ceremony featuring a parade, speeches, and a train ride to the state WoW gathering in Galveston.
From the Rootsweb website, we found this transcription of a news article about the WoW Cemetery Monument dedication ceremony in Oakland Cemetery: (
visit link)
"August 16, 1914, Dallas Daily Times Herald, Sec. I, p. 3, col. 1.
WOODMEN WILL UNVEIL MONUMENTS
Many "Choppers" Will Be in Dallas Today on Way to Galveston.
Woodmen of the World head camp officials are to unveil twenty-two monuments of deceased sovereigns who are buried in Oakland Cemetery this afternoon. They are to the assisted by many of the uniform rank companies of the order that will assemble in Dallas to-day, en route to the State Uniform Rank Encampment of the Woodmen of the World, which opens in Galveston Monday morning.
At 2 p. m., the head camp officers, uniform rank companies and W. O. W. bands will assemble at Woodman Hall, 416 North Harwood street, where they will form for a parade, headed by a band, followed by automobiles bearing Sovereign Commander W. A. Fraser, Sovereign Clerk John T. Yates and other sovereign camp officers, who will arrive on the Katy this morning en route to Galveston to attend the encampment. Next following, will be autos bearing the head camp officers, Head Consul H. W. Wiseman of Cleburne, H. T. McGrath, acting head adviser for R. H. McDill of Dallas; Head Banker Will A. Harris of Dallas; Head Clerk H. Russell of Mineral Wells; Head Escort W. P. Brady of Pecos; Head Watchman S. J. Flood of Waco; Head Sentry Will T. Brady of Georgetown, and sovereign delegates, followed by uniform rank companies under the command of Major N. A. Coombs of the Third regiment.
The parade will go south on Harwood street to Main, and down Main street to the loop, where special street cars will be waiting to take the party to Oakland Cemetery, where the unveiling ceremonies will be held at the big W. O. W. monument, which was erected at a cost of $3,300 in memory of thirty-three sovereigns whose burying places are not known, but whose names are inscribed thereon. A company of the uniform rank will form about each of the twenty-two monuments to be unveiled, and at a given signal, will simultaneously lift the veils and each company will carry out its part of the ceremony in unity at given signals.
Hon. Louis Wilson will deliver the unveiling oration, Mrs. J. J. Verbert will recite the Woodmen poem and Sovereign Commander W. A. Fracer will make an address.
Special trains will carry the uniform companies and officers to Galveston, arriving in that city at 7:30 a. m., Monday, where the encampment will last until August 22, giving the sovereigns a real touch of military life.
The encampment grounds are located on the seawall boulevard facing the Gulf of Mexico, and Colonel R. H. McDill of Dallas has been quartered there for the past few weeks, preparing the grounds and receiving equipment to be used, including cooking utensils, tents, boots, blankets and all other equipment generally used in military camps."
The WoW cemetery holds 8 small tombstones of departed WoW members. These identical low tombstones are decorated with WoW medallions featuring two arrangements of oak leaves that look like angel's wings.
Occupants of this small cemetery are as follows (in alphabetical order):
E. C. Addington (1868-1913)
T. Alaird (1858-1918)
W. C. Carpenter (1892-1914)
G. C. Keatts (1875-1915)
J. Kirchgraber (1884-1913)
D. E. Milam (1876-1915)
W. T. Strange (1860-1917)
R. W. Turner (1865-1915)
and
J. M. Willoughby (1870-1913)
For those who may be interested: The Hon. Louis Wilson who gave the oration at the 1914 ceremony was a prominent Dallas lawyer. His fascinating obituary is here: (
visit link)