Oakwood cemetery opened around 1846. Earlier one of Jefferson's Founders, Alan Urquhart, had donated a cemetery site that was unusable for burials. Mr. Urquhart then donated this present site which was much larger and contained more natural beauty than the previous site.
Oakwood Cemetery is culturally and historically unique in that it contains above ground burial sites similar to those found in South Louisiana, while also containing elaborately ornamental monuments that would have been found in the original thirteen colonies. There are many locally famous and infamous people buried at Historic Oakwood Cemetery including Diamond Bessie, John Vines, Outlaws Jesse Robinson & Bill Rose, Kate Woods, Jessie Allen Wise and Captain Joseph H. Platt.
John Vines served in the Civil War for the Confederacy as a Farrier. After the war he was the Sheriff of Marion County and was famous for bringing back Diamond Bessie's accused murderer, Abe Rothschild, back from Ohio to stand trial.
If you find a grave without a stone or inscription and consist of just two short poles linked by a chain, you have found the final resting place of Jesse Robinson and Bill Rose. Longtime outlaws and a real pain the neck to the people of Jefferson, they killed each other in a gunfight. Legend has it that the townsfolk buried them together in a single grave, chained together for eternity.
Kate Woods, a German immigrant who arrived in Jefferson in 1877, purchased and ran the Excelsior Hotel.
Also buried here is Captain Joseph H. Pratt, who served in the Confederacy. During the Civil War he led the 10th Texas Field Battery during the Civil War. Other Confederate soldiers are buried here too, along with soldiers from the United States of America who served and died in the Jefferson area during reconstruction.
When visiting Historic Oakwood Cemetery, or any other cemetery, please keep in mind that this is the final resting place for real people. Buried in these cemeteries are Fathers and Mothers, Sons and Daughters and Wives and Husbands. Always keep in mind that others may be paying respects to their loved ones, so keep your voices low. Please never walk or stand on anyone's grave and never sit or lean on someone's memorial. Also keep in mind that some of these gravestones are very old and are very fragile.
Leave all items - toys, coins, bottles of alcohol, stones on the grave or headstone. These mementos have significance.
For thousands of years, many people memorialized their loved ones by burying them and placing stones on top of their graves. Known as cairns, these stones were stacked on top of the graves to mark the burial site and to protect them from animals.
Today, leaving a stone, pebbles, painted stones on a grave is a way of continuing this tradition of commemorating loved ones. The number of stones placed on top of a headstone equates to the number of visitors.
It is a Jewish custom to place a stone or pebble on a headstone order to keep the soul of the deceased where it belongs.
A coin left on a headstone lets the deceased soldier's family know that somebody stopped by to pay their respects. If you leave a penny, it means you visited. A nickel means that you and the deceased soldier trained at boot camp together. If you served with the soldier, you leave a dime. A quarter is very significant because it means that you were there when that soldier was killed.
Please be respectful.
Oakwood Cemetery is culturally and historically unique in that it contains above ground burial sites similar to those found in South Louisiana, while also containing elaborately ornamental monuments that would have been found in the original thirteen colonies. There are many locally famous and infamous people buried at Historic Oakwood Cemetery including Diamond Bessie, John Vines, Outlaws Jesse Robinson & Bill Rose, Kate Woods, Jessie Allen Wise and Captain Joseph H. Platt.
John Vines served in the Civil War for the Confederacy as a Farrier. After the war he was the Sheriff of Marion County and was famous for bringing back Diamond Bessie's accused murderer, Abe Rothschild, back from Ohio to stand trial.
If you find a grave without a stone or inscription and consist of just two short poles linked by a chain, you have found the final resting place of Jesse Robinson and Bill Rose. Longtime outlaws and a real pain the neck to the people of Jefferson, they killed each other in a gunfight. Legend has it that the townsfolk buried them together in a single grave, chained together for eternity.
Kate Woods, a German immigrant who arrived in Jefferson in 1877, purchased and ran the Excelsior Hotel.
Also buried here is Captain Joseph H. Pratt, who served in the Confederacy. During the Civil War he led the 10th Texas Field Battery during the Civil War. Other Confederate soldiers are buried here too, along with soldiers from the United States of America who served and died in the Jefferson area during reconstruction.
When visiting Historic Oakwood Cemetery, or any other cemetery, please keep in mind that this is the final resting place for real people. Buried in these cemeteries are Fathers and Mothers, Sons and Daughters and Wives and Husbands. Always keep in mind that others may be paying respects to their loved ones, so keep your voices low. Please never walk or stand on anyone's grave and never sit or lean on someone's memorial. Also keep in mind that some of these gravestones are very old and are very fragile.
Leave all items - toys, coins, bottles of alcohol, stones on the grave or headstone. These mementos have significance.
For thousands of years, many people memorialized their loved ones by burying them and placing stones on top of their graves. Known as cairns, these stones were stacked on top of the graves to mark the burial site and to protect them from animals.
Today, leaving a stone, pebbles, painted stones on a grave is a way of continuing this tradition of commemorating loved ones. The number of stones placed on top of a headstone equates to the number of visitors.
It is a Jewish custom to place a stone or pebble on a headstone order to keep the soul of the deceased where it belongs.
A coin left on a headstone lets the deceased soldier's family know that somebody stopped by to pay their respects. If you leave a penny, it means you visited. A nickel means that you and the deceased soldier trained at boot camp together. If you served with the soldier, you leave a dime. A quarter is very significant because it means that you were there when that soldier was killed.
Please be respectful.
Cemeteries in Germany are similar to parks. The one we visited in Bad Kreuznach had well-cared-for gravel paths smooth enough to roll a stroller on. On a nice weekend, my mother, siblings and I would often join hundreds of others to just wander about. They were also (likely, still are) used for picnicing and as a place for lovers to meet. But respect was always an inherent aspect of peoples' enjoyment.
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