05/25/2026
Oakland Cemetery Walkthrough šŖ¦
ā¢Location: 248 Oakland Avenue SE, Atlanta Georgia
Founded in 1850, Historic Oakland Cemetery spans 48 acres in downtown Atlanta and is the city's oldest public green space.
Originally a 6-acre rural "garden" cemetery, it is the final resting place of over 70,000 individuals-including 27 mayors, 6 governors, and Civil War soldiers. It also functions as an active arboretum and public park. ā¢ Oakland Cemetery +5
Core Highlights
ā¢ Notable Residents: It is the burial site of Gone With the Wind author Margaret
Mitchell, golf legend Bobby Jones, and Atlanta's first Black mayor, Maynard Jackson.
ā¢ Diverse Sections: The grounds are separated into specialized sections, including historic African American burial grounds, three Jewish sections, and a Confederate section with over 7,000 graves.
ā¢ Architecture: The cemetery is a stunning outdoor sculpture museum featuring elaborate Victorian, Greek Revival, Egyptian Revival, and Neoclassical mausoleums and monuments.
Atlanta's historic 88-acre Oakland Cemetery (founded in 1850) is the city's oldest public park and a notorious hotspot for paranormal activity With over 70,000 residents-including thousands of Civil War soldiers, historical icons like Margaret Mitchell, and notable figures-it is famous for phantom soldiers, residual battlefield echoes, and lingering spirits. ā¢ Explore Georgia +3
History
ā¢ Origins: It began as a six-acre plot in 1850 and is one of the few surviving testaments to pre-Civil War and Victorian Atlanta.
ā¢ The War Dead: It holds nearly 7,000 Confederate soldiers, including 3,000 unknown soldiers beneath the massive Lion of Atlanta monument, as well as several Union soldiers.
ā¢ Notable Residents: It is the final resting place for golfing legend Bobby Jones, author Margaret Mitchell, Atlanta's first Black mayor Maynard Jackson, and musician Kenny Rogers. Ā® Atlanta History Center +2
Haunted Lore & Sightings
ā¢ The Confederate Roll Call: Visitors and paranormal investigators have reported hearing disembodied voices, phantom cannon fire, and phantom Confederate roll calls. Witnesses even claim to hear their own names called from the ether.
ā¢ "The Captain": A lingering apparition nicknamed The Captain" has been spotted wandering the Confederate section, occasionally saluting or interacting with curious guests before vanishing.
ā¢ Jasper Newton Smith: The elaborate marble statue of prominent 19th-century businessman Jasper Newton Smith has an urban legend claiming his spirit wanders the grounds at night to watch over his grave.
ā¢ Walking Shadows: Cold spots, high EMF readings, and shadowy figures darting between the tattered uniforms of headstones are common residual claims.
(2026)
