Oakwood Cemetery - Austin, Texas
N 30° 16.578 W 097° 43.707
14R E 622301 N 3350086
The historic Oakwood Cemetery at 16th and Navasota in Austin, Texas
Waymark Code: WM8P6Q
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/26/2010
Views: 13
Oakwood cemetery started with its first burial in 1839. Since then it has grown much over the years. The old cemetery was expanded time and again and an annex was added across Comal Street to increase capacity.
The last official census was in the mid 1970's and the old cemetery had approximately 21,800 graves and the annex had approximately 11,000. The cemetery is still active but there are very few known spaces left.
The numbers and knowledge of space is so limited because there are believed to be a great many unmarked graves, especially in the old cemetery. Most notably are the two slave sections.
The slaves were typically buried and given markers made of low grade stone or wood, both of which deteriorated over the years and now there are very few that are at all visible. Probably the most notable burial in the slave sections is that of Mr. Jacob Fontaine. He came to Texas as a slave of an Episcopal minister just before the Civil War. Over the years he became a Baptist minister, started several churches in the Austin area, published a newspaper, and played a very active political role including garnering support among his congregations to establish the University of Texas in Austin.
There are a great many notable families from Austin's history resting here. If you have spent hardly any time at all in the Austin area, you most likely have heard the names Palm, Mueller, Hogg, Pease, Slaughter, Pfluger, and many others. Probably the most readily recognized is Zilker. See the picture gallery for more on them.
With the spanning of so many years and so many social classes, Oakwood cemetery has a dazzling array of architectural styles represented in the headstones, mausoleums, monuments, memorials, and cenotaphs. You will find Victorian era cast iron grave covers, art deco structures, hand made markers, iron fencing of various styles, and sarcophagi of many types and styles.
There are also many historical markers here, but don't just look for signs on posts near the road. You will find them on backs of headstones, small signs near the ground, and tucked back into various quiet corners.
Oakwood is the place to go if you want a real sense of Austin's history and people.
City, Town, or Parish / State / Country: Not listed
Approximate number of graves: Not listed
Cemetery Status: Active
Cemetery Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
Post an original, un-copywrited picture of the Cemetery into this Waymark gallery, along with any observations about the cemetery.