Oleander Cemetery (Potters Field) - Galveston, TX - Worldwide Cemeteries on Waymarking.com

There are SEVEN cemeteries in this large rectangle bound by Broadway (Avenue J) on the north, Avenue L on the south, 40th Street on the east, and 43rd Street on the west. Avenue K runs through the middle.

North of Avenue K, from west to east: Evergreen (Cahill), Oleander, and Old City.
South of Avenue K, from west to east: Hebrew Benevolent Society, New City (Yellow Fever Yard), Old Catholic, and Trinity Episcopal.

The Potter’s Field (1839) and Oleander Cemetery (1939) contain a wide variety of monuments. (A potter’s field is where indigents are buried.) Only a few gravestones are here. Most burials were unmarked. The City of Galveston platted and landscaped Oleander. Records show about 1,000 interments took place in these sections. (visit link)

From the National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form:

Potter’s Field (1839) and Oleander Cemetery (1939)

Originally designated as a pauper’s burial ground in 1839, little documentation of the historic layout of the Potter’s Field Cemetery exists prior to 1935. A 1935 map illustrates a grid imposed upon existing burial plots. This map was likely prepared as part of an effort to renovate and expand the existing city burial grounds, an effort that resulted in the creation of Oleander Cemetery. A 1939 City Ordinance formally establishes Oleander Cemetery by adopting the plat map and outlining rules and regulations related to the design and management of burial plots within the complex. Landscaping requirements are outlined within this ordinance and prohibit the planting of trees, palms, oleanders or large bushes of any type within the cemetery, although small plants were permitted to be planted at the headstone. The landscaping of the cemetery was relegated to the City of Galveston. The original Hebrew Cemetery is located in the southeast corner of Potter’s Field and contains burials dating from the 1850s. The portion of 42nd Street that originally transected the cemetery complex was closed ca. 1921 and incorporated into the available area for burial of the then Potter’s Field.

A later, but undated, map further subdivides the burial plots in this section and defines a series of sections from north to south (Sections L through S). The current configuration of the Oleander Cemetery closely resembles this layout. A gate is located at the northeast corner to Broadway Avenue. North to south and minor east to west concrete walkways are noted as 6’- 0” wide and major east to west walkways are 8’- 0” wide. A diagonal walkway at the center of the cemetery divides the east and west sections of this cemetery. A bronze Works Progress Administration (WPA) marker is located along this walk inscribed with the dates, 1938-1939. It is likely the reconfiguration of the Potter’s Field Cemetery was conducted as part of a WPA project. The WPA was active in Texas from 1935 until 1942. Currently, approximately 1,000 interments are located within the Oleander Cemetery, with almost 80-percent of the burial sites dated within the period of significance from 1839 until 1964.

City, Town, or Parish / State / Country: Galveston, Galveston County, TX, USA Approximate number of graves: 4500 Cemetery Status: Active Cemetery Website: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Post an original, un-copywrited picture of the Cemetery into this Waymark gallery, along with any observations about the cemetery.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   02/08/2020 WalksfarTX visited it