Oakwood Cemetery Improvements – Tyler, TX
Posted by: WalksfarTX
N 32° 21.200 W 095° 18.617
15S E 282596 N 3581947
The federal Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted improvement work at Tyler, Texas’s Oakwood Cemetery during the 1930s.
Waymark Code: WM10Y24
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 07/09/2019
Views: 3
Historic Marker
The graves of numerous Confederate soldiers, who died in the Civil War (1861-1865), are situated in a raised section east of Central Drive.
In another separate portion is the Jewish Beth-el Cemetery, where the oldest grave is that of 19-year-old Rachel Wolinsky, who died in 1884.
In 1903, additional land was acquired and the cemetery renamed Oakwood. City officials hired William A. Woldert (1885-1937) to map the grounds, locate old graves, and lay out more walkways.
Further improvements were made by WPA labor in the 1930s, when Oakwood was again enlarged. By the 1970s, the burial ground contained 19.5 acres with over 2,000 marked graves. Many of Tyler's most prominent citizens are buried here, including Judge Stockton P. Donley (1821-1871), Texas Supreme Court Justice; and Governor Richard B. Hubbard (1832-1901), who also served as U. S. Ambassador to Japan.