Oakland Rocks! Photo Scavenger Hunt

Learn more about and explore the rocks of Oakland on this photo scavenger hunt!

Solve the clues take a photo of each answer. Email your photo answers by June 1 to ashares@oaklandcemetery.com along with your full name. If you get 50% or more correct, you’ll be entered to win one of two pairs of tickets to our Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween tours! Depending on your email provider, you may need to send them in two emails. That’s fine.

Bell Tower Ridge

1. Behind the Bell Tower is the Marsh mausoleum, made of sandstone. Sandstone is a sedimentary rock and is susceptible to breakage along its bedding planes. Take a photo of an area where this is actively occurring on the building.

2. Near the Marsh mausoleum is also a wall with a sandstone cap. Take a photo of this cap.

 

Original Six Acres

1. Marble had its heyday in the 19th century. During that time, there were many stone dealers and carvers in Atlanta. One such carver, S.B. Oatman, inscribed his name on many of his pieces. Take a photo of his “carver’s mark.” Hint: It’s on an obelisk.

2. Marble is made mostly of the mineral Calcite but often contains impurities. The calcite and the other minerals present weather at different rates, often resulting in a headstone with thin, raised “veins.” Take a picture of one such headstone.

3. Calcite reacts with acids. In a major city like Atlanta, acid rain really does a number on marble headstones, causing them to slowly dissolve. Take a picture of a once-intricate carving that is now illegible due to this process.

 

East Hill

1. Oakland is home to a single limestone mausoleum. Find it and take a close-up photograph of the fossils in its walls. (use your magnifying glass to get a closer look!)

2. Most intricate statuary is carved from marble, but on East Hill, there is a single granite angel. Take a photo of this modern grave marker.

3. The Women’s Comfort Station was constructed in 1908 of brick and limestone. Take a photo of one of the limestone elements.

 

African American Burial Grounds

1. Marble in Georgia is usually white. However, iron and clay minerals can help produce pink marble, a rarity at Oakland Cemetery. Take a photo of the only pink marble headstone in this section.

2. The term headstone can be a misnomer. Some graves are marked with cast concrete “headstones”. Find and photograph a grave marked with concrete rather than natural stone.

 

Confederate Burial Grounds

1. The Confederate Burial Grounds contain both historic marble headstones and modern replacements. Take a photo of a grave marked with BOTH.

2. Granite might be tough, but it’s not immortal. The Confederate obelisk has undergone both natural weathering in the form of exfoliation/blistering and mechanical weathering in the form of intentional mechanical damage. With both types, you can see the layers of “fresh” granite beneath. Take a photo of both damage types.