Oak Grove Cemetery (former Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery)

The cemetery was established around the Lexington Presbyterian Church, which was founded in 1789; the oldest extant, marked burial dates back to 1792. While the church relocated away from the cemetery to its present location in 1845, it continued to maintain and run the cemetery until its transfer to the city in 1949. It was at this time that the cemetery's name was officially changed from the Presbyterian Cemetery to the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery. The cemetery has recorded Lexington's history from the passing of its founders and Revolutionary War patriots through the death toll of the Civil War and up to the present day. It also memorializes the story of the city's two institutions of higher learning, Washington & Lee University and the Virginia Military Institute (VMI).

It is said that 296 Confederate soldiers are buried in the cemetery, including four generals other than the cemetery’s longtime namesake, Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. He was buried here on May 15, 1863, after a funeral at the Presbyterian Church and only five days after his death from friendly fire and pneumonia on May 10 in northern Virginia. The bronze statue adorning his grave, sculpted by Edward Virginius Valentine, was placed at his burial site much later; it was dedicated on July 21, 1891, in a ceremony keynoted by General Jubal Early and attended by 30,000 people. Buried under it are Jackson, his first and second wife, and his three children – a stillborn son, a daughter who died in childbirth, and his daughter Julia Jackson Christian. Julia’s husband, William, and their son, World War II general Thomas Christian, are buried there as well. 

Other famous burials include Virginia governors James McDowell and John Letcher (governor during most of the Civil War), the "Poetess of the South," Margaret Junkin Preston, and several Congressmen and Senators. One of VMI’s founders, John Preston (husband of Margaret), and its first and second superintendents, Francis Henney Smith and Scott Shipp (who also led the VMI cadets at the Battle of New Market) are buried in the cemetery. There are also graves of many involved in the early history of Washington & Lee University, including the cabinetmaker who crafted the statue of George Washington (nicknamed "Old George") that stood on top of the University's Washington Hall from 1844 to 1990.

Today, the Historic Lexington Foundation works to preserve and restore the cemetery and promote its history and legacy. The foundation occasionally holds tours and work days and has raised funds and hired professional conservators to restore dilapidated headstones and monuments. In July 2020, as part of the renewed nationwide reevaluation of Confederate symbols and monuments following the George Floyd protests, the Lexington City Council unanimously decided to remove the "Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery" name from the property. While the move was met with mixed reactions from local residents and politicians, the city council continued with plans to accept public suggestions for a new name. They chose the name "Oak Grove Cemetery" on August 20th and officially approved it on September 3rd, 2020, with a unanimous vote.

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Williamson, Jeff. Lexington City Council unanimously agrees to rename Stonewall Jackson Cemetery, WSLS 10 News. July 3rd 2020. Accessed August 11th 2020. https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2020/07/03/lexington-city-council-unanimously-agrees-to-rename-stonewall-jackson-cemetery/.