Introducing Oakland Cemetery, Dallas, TX. to the Constellation of Living Memorials
As we prepare to begin our journey as a group of cemeteries located in the Dallas Metropolis I would like to give our readers a little back ground into Oakland Cemetery’s history and our mission for the future.
Oakland Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Dallas, Texas, United States. It originally stood on 180 acres in rural Dallas County 1.5 miles southeast of the county court house when it opened in 1892. Economic problems, court judgements, land sales and acquisitions altered the cemetery to approximately 48 acres by 1969. About 27,000 people have selected Oakland Cemetery as the burial location for themselves and/or their family members. Burials include many prominent politicians, educators, physicians, ministers, business leaders, military service members, ancestors of famous individuals and ordinary citizens. The cemetery has a number of interesting memorials, sculptures and mausoleums.
A stroll through Oakland Cemetery will reveal the names of individuals whose families are in the written history of Dallas: Caruth, Dealey, Thornton, Hobby, Bolanz, Murphy, O'Connor, Blaylock, Samuell, Grauwyler, Armstrong, Zang, Belo, Jalonick. It is also the burial location of others whose lives were a struggle, but still contributed to the fabric and growth of the city. Many beautiful monuments and sculptures adorn the cemetery grounds. Some show the signs of pollution and vandalism. Others have sunken into the sandy soil or been have damaged by mowing.
On Oakland’s 48 acres you will also find a population of over 200 ancient Post Oak trees, along with Spanish oak, American elm, mulberry, ash, pecan, hackberry and burr oak. The spring brings a large showing of Texas Bluebonnets, Blackeyed Susans, purple and blue Spiderwort, wild Iris, as well several varieties of native Texas prairie grasses, including Grama Prairie and small Bluestem.
A Dallas Morning News article announced that the cemetery was officially closed in August 2019 due to lack of operating funds.] Now the Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association has new leadership. It meets annually in the spring. Its Board of Directors meets quarterly. The office at Oakland is closed, but the cemetery is open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily.
Since March of 2020 the Friends of Oakland Cemetery Dallas, a volunteer group, has worked tirelessly to restore the grounds and graves of Oakland Cemetery. Through their work 35 acres of cemetery land have been cleared of brush, approximately 500 headstones have been raised and repaired and over $80,000.00 have been donated towards the maintenance of the grounds through their fundraising efforts. The Dallas Genealogy Society recognized the Friends with the 2021 DGS Heritage Preservation Award.
Future projects planned for Oakland Cemetery Dallas by the Friends Of Oakland Cemetery include a partnership with Constellation of Living Memorials in the preservation of natural green space and cultivation of native plants and grasses and the removal of invasive plants. As well we plan to work on road repair, the removal of dead and diseased trees and continued stone repair and restoration.