Mark in Texas History: Annual walking tour highlights notable figures in Tyler’s Oakwood Cemetery

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - The land for Oakwood Cemetery was set aside in 1846, and it earned a historical marker in 1999.

Last month, the Oakwood Cemetery Restoration Committee held its annual walking history tour. Each year, a guide leads guests to the gravesites of historical figures.

Back in 1846, John Lollar of Smith County acquired 640 acres of land. The public square for the City of Tyler was laid out on part of the plan he prepared, and five acres were deeded to the city for a cemetery. It was first known as Lollar’s Cemetery, and then it became City Cemetery.

Over the years, additional land was donated or purchased. In 1903, the space was renamed Oakwood Cemetery, and now there are nearly twenty acres with more than 2000 inscribed tombstones.

There are 231 graves of unknown Confederate soldiers, as well as veterans from other wars. Many of Tyler’s most prominent citizens are also buried there, including Judge Stockton Donley, a Texas Supreme Court Justice. Governor Richard Hubbard, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan, is another notable figure.

In 1999, the Oakwood Cemetery was designated a Historic Texas Cemetery and received the historical marker that is there to this day.

Oakwood Cemetery is owned and maintained by the City of Tyler Parks and Recreation Department. If you want to visit, it is at the intersection of N. Palace Avenue and W. Oakwood Street. The historical marker is near the entrance at N. Ellis Avenue, right near Line Street.