A Brief History of Oakwood Cemetery

Long before it became a cemetery, the land that is Oakwood today was home to a fairground and racetrack south of Waco. By the 1870s, the city’s older burial grounds were running out of room, and Waco needed a new cemetery. In 1878, the City purchased 49.5 acres of the former fairgrounds for $4,000 and began laying out cemetery lots, walks, and drives.

The first reported burial took place on October 23, 1878, when three-year-old Rose Scott Parrott was laid to rest in what was then known simply as the “new city cemetery.” A few weeks later, Thomas Y. Baird became its first reported adult burial. By 1882, the name Oakwood Cemetery was in use. Generations have offered explanations for the name, but its true origin remains uncertain.

Twenty years after Oakwood opened, concerns about the cemetery’s condition and long-term care led to the formation of the Oakwood Cemetery Association in 1898. Its officers and directors served without compensation, and its original Board of Directors was composed entirely of women—a remarkable arrangement for the time. Following a spirited public and legal battle, the Association took charge of Oakwood’s management and began establishing a permanent fund to help provide for the cemetery’s care.

Oakwood continued to grow alongside Waco. The City added 20.19 acres in 1906, and in 1928 purchased the neighboring Park Lawn Cemetery, which had originally opened in 1913 under the name “Oakwood Annex.” The former Park Lawn property became what many families today recognize as the newer portion of Oakwood.

For nearly 150 years, Oakwood has grown with Waco—preserving not just the graves of those who came before us, but the stories of the city they helped to build.