Oakwood Cemetery (Waco, Texas)
Encyclopedia
Oakwood Cemetery is a 157 acres (63.5 ha) cemetery in Waco, Texas
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....

, in which three governors of Texas
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...

 are buried.

History

Founded in 1878, to relieve crowded conditions at Waco's main, First Street Cemetery, the cemetery was built on the site of an abandoned horse racing track.

Many interred remains from other early local graveyards were moved here because of the better maintenance of these grounds. Since 1898, the Oakwood Cemetery Association, a private group, has operated this tract, although the land remains the property of the city. The board of directors of the association consists of women only, as provided in the original by-laws.

The cemetery is characterised by tree-lined streets, large monuments and angels.

Notable burials

  • William Cowper Brann
    William Cowper Brann
    William Cowper Brann was an American journalist known as Brann the Iconoclast.-Biography:Born in Humboldt, Illinois, Brann was a journalist known for the articulate savagery of his writing...

     (1855–1898) Crusading journalist, and playwright. Editor of the Iconoclast
  • Rufus Columbus Burleson
    Rufus Columbus Burleson
    Rufus Columbus Burleson was the President of Baylor University from 1851 to 1861, and again from 1886 to 1897.-Biography:Rufus Columbus Burleson was born on August 7, 1823 close to Decatur, Alabama...

     (1823–1901) President of Baylor University twice, 1851–1861 and 1886–1897.
  • Richard Coke
    Richard Coke
    Richard Coke was an American lawyer, farmer, and statesman from Waco, Texas. He was the 15th governor of Texas from 1874 to 1876 and represented Texas in the U.S. Senate from 1877 to 1895. His uncle was Congressman Richard Coke, Jr..Coke was born in Williamsburg, Virginia, to John and Eliza Coke...

     (1829– 1897) Twice elected Governor of Texas
    Governor of Texas
    The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...

    , United States Senator. Coke is buried near his “friend through eternity”, David Richard Wallace. Their life-size statues face each other. Interred at Lot 66, block 1.
  • Hallie Earle
    Hallie Earle
    Hallie Earle was the first licensed female physician in Waco, Texas. In 1907, she was the only female graduate of the Baylor University Medical School in Dallas. Her private medical practice served the community of Waco for over three decades. Upon her father's death, Earle was appointed to assume...

     (1880–1963) First licensed female physician in Waco
    Waco, Texas
    Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....

    , only female graduate of 1907 Baylor University Medical School in Dallas.
  • Neil McLennan
    Neil McLennan
    Neil McLennan, an early Scottish-American settler of Texas, was born on the Isle of Skye in Scotland on September 2, 1777, 1778 or 1787, and died in Texas in 1867. McLennan County, Texas was named for him....

     (ca. 1777–1867) Namesake of McLennan County
    McLennan County, Texas
    McLennan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. In 2000, its population was 213,517; in 2008 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population to be 230,213. Its seat is Waco. The county is named for Neil McLennan, an early settler....

    , Texas pioneer of Scottish birth.
  • Patrick Morris Neff (1871–1952) Governor of Texas and President of Baylor University
    Baylor University
    Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...

    . Interred at Lot 149, section F.
  • Lawrence Sullivan Ross
    Lawrence Sullivan Ross
    Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross was the 19th Governor of Texas , a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, and a president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, now called Texas A&M University.Ross was raised in the Republic of Texas, which was later annexed to...

     (1838–1898) Namesake of Sul Ross State University
    Sul Ross State University
    Sul Ross State University , a public university in Alpine, Texas, is named for former Texas governor, Civil War general Lawrence Sullivan Ross. It was founded in 1917 as Sul Ross Normal College and was made a university in 1969....

    , United States Senator, Governor of Texas
    Governor of Texas
    The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...

    , President of Texas A&M University
    Texas A&M University
    Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...

    . Texas Ranger
    Texas Ranger Division
    The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...

     who recaptured Cynthia Ann Parker
    Cynthia Ann Parker
    Cynthia Ann Parker, or Naduah , was an American woman of old colonial stock of Scots-Irish descent who was captured and kidnapped at the age of nine by a American Indian band which massacred her family and...

    . Confederate Army Brigadier General. Interred at Lot 5, block 1.
  • Edgar E. Witt
    Edgar E. Witt
    Edgar E. Witt was a Texas lawyer and politician, serving as Lieutenant Governor for one term in the 1930s. He also served twice as Chairman of the American-Mexican Claims Commission and Chief Commissioner of the Indian Claims Commission.-Early life:Witt was born on January 28, 1876, in Bell...

     (1876-1965) Lieutenant Governor of Texas 1931-1935, Chair American-Mexican Claims Commission
    American-Mexican Claims Commission
    The American-Mexican Claims Commission, officially known as the General Claims Commission was a commission set up by treaty that adjudicated claims by citizens of the United States and Mexico for losses suffered due to the acts of one government against nationals of the other...

    , Chief Commissioner Indian Claims Commission
    Indian claims commission
    The Indian Claims Commission was a judicial panel for relations between the United States Federal Government and Native American tribes. It was established in 1946 by the United States Congress to hear claims of Indian tribes against the United States...

    .
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