Oaklawn Cemetery

Established in 1850, Oakland Cemetery became the first cemetery for the approximately five hundred residents of the small town of Tampa. Although buried in separate sections, the minutes of the county commission reveal that the cemetery was established as a public burying ground for “white and slave, rich and poor.” Many of the city's pioneer families are buried here, although the use of wood markers and the loss of written burial records has created a situation where most of the early graves are unknown. The cemetery is also the final resting place of numerous Confederate officers and soldiers. It includes the adjacent St. Louis Catholic Cemetery, which is owned by the local Catholic Church. Oakland Cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Oaklawn and St. Louis Cemeteries Historic District.

Oakland Cemetery was established on April 15, 1850. By then, the Tampa area had grown since Fort Brooke was established in 1824 (what is now Tampa is located north of where the fort was) and the community demanded a formal burying ground. Until 1850, residents were buried in private family lots or the fort's cemetery. Oakland Cemetery was initially unnamed and simply called "Burying Ground." In the early years, grave markers were cypress slabs since only wealthy residents could afford marble markers. Unfortunately, storms and fires destroyed many grave markers and records. In general, the city did a poor job of maintaining burial records nor regulated where burials were located, meaning that the deceased were interred wherever there was space available.

Visitors will notice a number of raised monuments--many assume these were used for above-ground burials. These monuments were actually used as a counter-measure against the grave's sinking in Florida's soft soil. A number of prominent figures are buried here. These include the first and sixth mayors of Tampa and the sixth governor of Florida, Henry Laurens Mitchell.

The section for enslaved African Americans was located in the northeast part of the cemetery and another section was established for criminals and other "marginal" persons. A notable pair of graves are those of William and Nancy Ashley. William was Tampa's first clerk of the circuit court and Nancy was his enslaved worker. However, they were in a romantic relationship and chose to be buried next to each other. Another enslaved worker, a man named Adam, is buried here. Tragically, he was lynched for allegedly killing a white landowner. During the trial, his lawyer, Ossian B. Hart, provided a very strong defense but the jury sentenced Adam to death. Hart, however, was certain Adam was innocent and filed an expedited appeal to the Florida Supreme Court, who were impressed and ordered a new trial. Before that could happen, a mob seized Adam from jail on December 16, 1859 and lynched him in the African-American area of Tampa.

A few local organizations took it upon themselves to maintain the cemetery. In 1873, an organization of women called the Town Improvement Society raised funds to hire a caretaker to remove undergrowth. Another women's group, the Nickel Club, raised funds (they collected nickels at music programs they sponsored) to help maintain the cemetery. Around this time, an organization called the Ladies Memorial Society of Tampa was founded to maintain the cemetery and did so until 1923. However, beginning with the Great Depression, the cemetery was not maintained for 25 years. During that time, car crashes damaged two stone walls, many stones were removed, and the arch at the south entrance had deteriorated. Repairs and other improvements were made in the late 1950s.

St. Louis Cemetery was established on March 26, 1874 to provide a burial ground for the Hispanic and Italian Catholic immigrants who had settled in Tampa. It was named after St. Louis Catholic Church, which was later named Sacred Heart Church. One prominent figure buried in the cemetery is Spanish-born cigar manufacturer Vicente Martinez Ybor, whose operations were in Cuba and Key West. He moved to Tampa in 1885 and bought 40 acres northeast of downtown. He sold land to cigar makers from Cuba and Key West, convincing them to relocate to Tampa. As a result, more Catholic immigrants arrived whose presence contributed significantly to the city's growth. In the early 1900s, other Catholic cemeteries opened and St. Louis Cemetery continued to be open to new burials until 1960.

Fernandez, Dennis et al. "Oaklawn and St. Louis Cemeteries Historic District." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. September 19, 2017. https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/100001668.

"Oakland Cemetery." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=135974.