Combining park-like settings with local lore and outdoor art, historic cemeteries can be fascinating places to tour and, in some cases, even hold events.
Oakland Cemetery
Dating from 1850, Oakland Cemetery is a tranquil enclave of ancient magnolias, architectural treasures and Victorian gardens located less than a mile from downtown Atlanta. It’s the final resting place for such notable citizens as author Margaret Mitchell, golf legend Bobby Jones and Maynard Jackson, Atlanta’s first African-American mayor.
Oakland Cemetery is also a frequent site for receptions and banquets, offering the Bell Tower, which accommodates small dinners, and areas for large receptions, including one with a backdrop of the famous Lion of Atlanta marble sculpture.
“Some people are skeptical before they come, but that goes away once they step inside the gates,” says Pamela Henman, marketing director. “This is not a creepy, sad place. It’s very beautiful.”
African Burial Ground
Believed to be the only known urban pre-Revolutionary War cemetery in the U.S., the African Burial Ground is a National Historic Monument in the Lower Manhattan area of New York City. The burial ground, which has the remains of 419 mostly enslaved African people from the 17th and 18th centuries, was discovered during construction work on the Ted Weiss Federal Building in 1991. The building was redesigned to accommodate the burial site.
A new visitors center is now located in the Weiss building, which includes exhibits on the history of the cemetery and the early African community in New York. Ranger-led tours of the burial ground are available through the National Park Service.
