Oakwood Cemetery
Waco, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Before Oakwood Cemetery was established here in 1878, this tract of land contained a fairgrounds and race track. The 157-acre burial ground is successor to First Street Cemetery, oldest important cemetery in Waco. Many bodies from early graveyards were moved here in 1878 and later 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. Among the eminent Texans interred here are three governors: Richard Coke (1874-1876), L.S. "Sul" Ross (1887-1891), and Pat M. Neff (1921-1925). Also, Neil McLennan, Texas pioneer of Scottish birth for whom McLennan County is named, is buried in Oakwood. In addition there are two old adversaries: Rufus C. Burleson, president of Baylor University,and William Cowper Brann, Crusading Editor of the "Iconoclast", who was shot in 1898 by another man who resented Brann's acid attacks on hypocrisy an self-righteousness. Also interred is William Cameron, "Lumber King of the South." As of April 2, 1969, burials totaled 18, 804.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Before it became a cemetery in 1878, this Waco tract held a fairgrounds and a racetrack; afterward it grew into a 157-acre resting place that received reburials from the city's older graveyards. Uniquely, its association has long been governed by a board of directors made up entirely of women, as its founding by-laws required. Among those interred are three Texas governors, the pioneer for whom McLennan County is named, and a crusading editor shot dead in 1898 over his caustic pen.
Why it matters
Oakwood gathers the founders, feuds, and leaders of one Texas city into a single ground, and its all-women governing board marks an early and lasting role for women in civic institutions.
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Related people
- · Richard Coke
- · L.S. "Sul" Ross
- · Pat M. Neff
- · Neil McLennan
- · William Cowper Brann
Themes & tags
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