On the second Sunday of May, we celebrate moms everywhere and honor different forms of motherhood. In honor of this Mother’s Day and all the ladies buried at Oakland, we’re going to focus on a few special Atlanta women. These…
In 2017, Historic Oakland Foundation’s preservation team embarked upon a phased restoration project in one of its most historically and culturally rich sections: the African American Grounds. During the three-year project, the team not only restored headstones and monuments but…
A look back at the history of sports in Atlanta inevitably leads to Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. (1911-2003), a two-term mayor and Oakland Cemetery resident. Mayor Allen played a pivotal role in bringing several sports teams to Atlanta, but his…
Last week the PRO team began work on the Lynan-Berry lot, located at Block 321, Lot 3 on the East Hill. Headstones on the lot range from marble crosses to simpler marble slanted markers. The PRO team's newest member, Reggie…
Maybelle Stephens Mitchell is best remembered as the mother of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Margaret Mitchell. But this brilliant woman lived a life all her own - as a suffragist, club woman, and a progressive voice in her community. Born Mary…
In honor of Saint Patrick's Day, meet a few of Oakland's residents from the Emerald Isle. From County Meath on the Irish Sea to Galway on Ireland's western coast, these Irish men and women left their mark on their adopted…
This is part seven of a blog post series highlighting the Oakland Cemetery residents featured in the 2019 Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween tours. In 1893 Lewis Redwine shocked the people of Atlanta by masterminding an embezzlement scandal that…
This is part six of a blog post series highlighting the Oakland Cemetery residents featured in the 2019 Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween tours. Pennsylvania-born Richard Peters was one of the most dynamic real estate and transportation magnates in…
This is part five of a blog post series highlighting the Oakland Cemetery residents featured in the 2019 Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween tours. Born in Pownal, Vermont, Stephen B. Oatman followed his eldest brother to Tennessee in the…
Dr. Jennie Newman Norris was one of Atlanta’s first female physicians. A champion of women's health, Dr. Norris provided care for over 150,000 cases during her career, which spanned more than 30 years. Born in Tennessee in 1861, Jennie Newman…