Robert Bell
Audio By Carbonatix
Honey, grab the kids. We’re going to the cemetery. On April 1, South Dallas’ Oakland Cemetery will host its third annual picnic and fundraiser to raise money for the 47-acre, 130-year-old establishment.
Dallas has its fair share of famous graves, but few cemeteries boast the grandeur of Oakland Cemetery. While visiting, you might forget all about what’s underground and feel more like you’re touring a garden of sculptures as you pass obelisks or Grecian designs. It’s also reminiscent of strolling through a nature preserve as you’re greeted by birds, bluebonnets and over 300 trees.
“It’s a beautiful treasure in the middle of South Dallas,” says Monica Newbury, cemetery administrator and volunteer coordinator. (Yes, that’s her real name.)
The historic cemetery is the resting place for Dallas pioneers, mayors, a lieutenant governor, Civil War veterans and the founders and planners of Highland Park, along with around 27,000 others.
The Oakland Cemetery’s website expands on its mission of preservation: “Often Oakland Cemetery gravestones are the only record of residents’ lives, familial relationships, and impact on Dallas’ cultural landscape. They trace the timeline of American and Texas history following wars, epidemics, economic inequity, migration and immigration.”
Newbury wants the public to appreciate the history and beauty of the city. In 2019, Oakland Cemetery ceased operation, effectively deserted, without a board or money. But a mission led by new financial supporters and volunteers revived the necropolis. The Friends of Oakland Cemetery, a group of volunteers who work to maintain the grounds, has tripled in numbers during the past year, and Newbury hopes it will keep growing.
This year’s picnic and fundraiser will be bigger than the last. Among the events are live folk music by Nancy Moore, a tour of headstones, stone cleaning demonstrations, craft sales and a silent auction. The affair is meant to engage families of Oakland Cemetery, but also any member of the general public interested in the history of Dallas.
One of many artistic touches to be seen at Oakland Cemetery.
Charlie D. Park
Cemetery homecomings like these are more common in small towns, where privately owned cemeteries are also more common. In Dallas, however, most cemeteries are owned by the city or corporations, which take over cemeteries that are, frankly, easier to maintain. Newbury shares that most cemeteries begin as privately owned and are later taken over by corporations. A few smaller cemeteries have been assumed by the city’s park department.
“We are huge … we have a 49-foot obelisk in the middle of our cemetery. You cannot ignore what’s here,” Newbury says. “If the parks department took us over, they would have a lot of maintenance to do.”
Newbury also concedes that spending so much public money on cemetery upkeep in its South Dallas district would be hard to justify, with so many other places the support could go.
“Most of what we do is funded by donations from friends and family,” says Newbury. Oakland Cemetery wants to become a cemetery of the people, supported by and supporting the people of Dallas. For this year’s picnic, the organizers want the public to come out and enjoy the cemetery, aside from visiting the graves of their own family members.
Preserving historic cemeteries is important to Newbury because “it’s saving the history,” she says. The volunteers uncover and preserve the stories of everyday people along with the dignitaries who are buried there.
“When a cemetery goes unnoticed, the people in the cemetery go unnoticed,” Newbury says. “These are the people that really created our city. It’s not just about the cemetery’s history, but the history of our city.”
Oakland Cemetery Annual Picnic and Fundraiser will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 1, at 3900 Oakland Circle. Admission is free.