11/06/2024
Last Wednesday, we visited an absolutely beautiful spot located in Wilmington, North Carolina, known as Oakdale Cemetery. Nestled near the beginning part of downtown, Oakdale was established in 1855. Anyone who has ever been to Wilmington, NC, or has done any research on eastern North Carolina knows that Wilmington is known for its haunts, architecture, and history. This cemetery covers all three of those.
Established in 1855 as the first rural cemetery in the state, Oakdale has served as a burial site and resting place for many people, including countless prominent figures. Oakdale was established to address overcrowding in other local cemeteries. The first burial site was that of a six-year-old girl named Annie DeRosset. Annie was buried on February 5th, 1855, and was the daughter of John DeRosset, who was the president of the cemetery corporation.
While the cemetery is located in eastern North Carolina, the best way I could describe it is as something you would see in the New Orleans area. Beautiful headstones, overlapping trees, Spanish moss, and mausoleums. We even heard crows cawing at one point. However, the one particular thing I noticed was the absolute peace I felt at this cemetery. Funny enough, I actually wanted to stay. I didn’t want to leave. It even had me contemplating whether I should look into becoming a groundskeeper for a cemetery. I’m not the only one who found this cemetery interesting and beautifully macabre. This cemetery has also become a local attraction for tourists.
With that being said, this has been one of my favorite spots we visited, and it probably won’t be the last time we stop by here. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.
Note: Another interesting spot that we found was a plot of older cemetery stones. It was actually the burial site of victims from the 1862 yellow fever outbreak. Super interesting to see in person and read about the history.”
