Oakwood Cemetery (Huntsville, Texas)
| Oakwood Cemetery Oakwood-Mayes Addition Cemetery | |
|---|---|
 Powell Sanctuary in the Oakwood Cemetery | |
| Details | |
| Location | Martin Luther King Drive Huntsville, Texas, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 30°43′35″N 95°32′33″W / 30.72625°N 95.54242°W |
| Owned by | City of Huntsville |
| Find a Grave | Oakwood Cemetery Oakwood-Mayes Addition Cemetery |
The Oakwood Cemetery, also known as the Oakwood-Mayes Addition Cemetery, is a historic cemetery located in Huntsville, Texas.[1]
History
In 1847, Pleasant Gray deed a 1,600 square feet (150 m2) piece of land.[2] The First Christian Church of Huntsville purchased the land in 1963 from H. Boyd Mayes. It is owned and maintained by the City of Huntsville since 2003.
Many pioneering families are buried at this site, as well as people that died in the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1867, many of which were the Union army soldiers who stayed after the war ended.[2] The cemetery has six sections for distinguished for periods of expansion: Adickes Addition, Mayes Addition,[3] New Cemetery, Old Cemetery with "Negro Cemetery", and the Wildwood Sanctuary.[1][4] In 2004, some 150 unmarked sunken graves were discovered in the older part of the cemetery, and unlettered white concrete crosses were added to their location; thought to have been the graves of the enslaved.[5]
This cemetery is a reportedly haunted location, specifically the "Christus", or "Black Jesus" gravestone marker by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen for Rawley Rather Powell.[2][5][6]
Notable burials
- Leonard Anderson Abercrombie (1832–1891) Texas state legislator, secessionist delegate, Confederate army officer[7]
- George Fitzhugh (1806–1881) proslavery writer, sociologist[8]
- T. J. Goree (1835–1905) Confederate army captain
- John Henry (1828–1897) Canadian-born tailor, Confederate army major who construct the uniforms[5]
- Joshua Houston (c. 1822 – 1902) formerly enslaved, turned politician and businessperson[9]
- Sam Houston (1793–1863) general and statesman[1][5]
- Samuel Walker Houston (1864–1945) educator, academic administrator, newspaper proprietor[5]
- Sherri Jarvis (1966–1980) murder victim
- Rev. Samuel McKinney (1807–1879) Irish-born Presbyterian minister and educator; founding president of Austin College[5]
- Pleasant Williams Kittrell (1805–1867) physician, Texas state legislator; died from Yellow Fever[5]
- George Robinson (1820–1888) English-born newspaper publisher, The Huntsville Item[5][10]
- John William Thomason Jr. (1893–1944) author, illustrator, Capt. of the United States Marine Corp.[5]
- Henderson King Yoakum (1810–1856) Texas historian, author[4]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Sam Houston's Grave & Oakwood Cemetery". City of Huntsville, Texas.
- ^ a b c "Would You Walk Through The Most Haunted Cemetery In Texas? Check It Out!". LoneStar 92.3. October 26, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
- ^ "The W.W. Adickes Addition to Oakwood Cemetery". Historical Marker Database (HMDB).
- ^ a b "Oakwood Cemetery". Historical Marker Database (HMDB).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Altom, Wes (May 1, 2019). "Texas Treasures: Oakwood Cemetery". Postcards Magazine. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
- ^ Woolley, Bryan (2000). Final Destinations: A Travel Guide for Remarkable Cemeteries in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. University of North Texas Press. pp. 35–36. ISBN 978-1-57441-085-3.
- ^ Cutrer, Thomas W. (November 1, 1994) [1952]. "Leonard Anderson Abercrombie: Confederate Officer and Texas Legislator". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
- ^ Schermerhorn, Calvin (December 22, 2021). "George Fitzhugh (1806–1881)". Encyclopedia Virginia. Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
- ^ Monday, Jane (June 15, 2010). "Houston, Joshua". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ "Huntsville Item". Historical Marker Database (HMDB).
External links
Media related to Oakwood Cemetery (Huntsville, Texas) at Wikimedia Commons