Forgotten Oberlin Village Cemetery
Tucked away in the woods behind a nondescript building on Raleigh’s busy Oberlin Road is a long-forgotten chunk of inside the beltline real estate. I am speaking of the old Oberlin Village Cemetery.
Few people are aware of its existence now, but this weedy, three-acre graveyard entangled with ivy is the final resting place for many former residents of the once-thriving African-American Community known as Oberlin.
I first explored Oberlin Cemetery more than 25 years ago when I was researching information for a history project. That was long before development had crept right up to its edge. Oberlin Rd. was still a residential street for the most part back then.
The cemetery had been neglected for years. I found it covered in a dense thicket of brush and debris, which made exploration a challenge. Ornate marble headstones still stood among the many broken and overturned ones. There were disturbed gravesites, scattered fragments of funerary art, illegible wooden markers, sunken graves and lost memories. It seemed a sad and lonely place.
I did not return to the site until last fall when I scouted the area for a cemetery documentation expert who records forgotten cemeteries for CemeteryCensus.com.
Although a few attempts have been made over the years to clean up and preserve Oberlin Cemetery, I found it to be basically the same as it was 25 years ago. At least now the historic graveyard has been documented, and the names of its residents recorded for posterity. Their memories however, are still lost and forgotten.
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07/30/2008
wow… I live right down the road. Never knew it was there.
07/31/2008
I as well….drive by it twice and day and never had the slightest idea.
08/01/2008
Where exactly is this? I can’t find it on Google Maps looking at the satellite view. I’d like to take some pictures of the place.
09/19/2008
Thank you for spreading the word about this hidden treasure. In the coming month, the Latta House Foundation will be working with the state and volunteers to not only maintain the cemetary but to protect it as well. We will re-launch this preservation effort with an existing team of professional partners. Anyone wishing to be involved should contact us at (919) 841-0953 or judithlguest@gmail.com. Please see the following regarding Historic oberlin Village.
LATTA HOUSE FOUNDATION’S MISSION
As a steward to the community; we will serve as a vessel to promote the history of the Latta School, its founder and other historic facets of Oberlin Village. These offerings will be rendered through educational and cultural
opportunities for all.
A PROUD PAST BRIDGING TOWARD THE FUTURE
Following the Civil War, parcels of land were subdivided and sold to freed slaves. Oberlin Village would be one of Raleigh’s first communities of freed slaves. The land had belonged to a wealthy plantation owner, Duncan Cameron who was a North Carolina state politician and state banker. Former slave, James E. Harris, established Oberlin Village in 1866. He graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio for which the community was named after due to its opposition to slavery. It was also an institution that opened enrollment to African Americans. The 149 acres primarily consisted of farmland where its new citizens pursued self-sufficiency by erecting schools, businesses and places of worship. Some of the original homes were quaint and of Victorian style. Today, few can be found along Oberlin Road, Wade and Clark Avenues.
PLACES OF PERTINENCE
• Wilson Temple United Methodist Church- Founded in 1865, the church was established to meet spiritual needs and to provide ministry to the Oberlin community. The church continues to this day to be a refuge with open hearts, open minds, and open doors. All are welcome! – W. E. McLeod, pastor.
• Oberlin Cemetery- Located on Oberlin Road behind RE/MAX, the 142-year-old cemetery has laid to rest generations of Oberlin Village’s earliest residents. Some born unto slavery. The last burial is as recent as 2007.
• Latta University-A former school and orphanage for the children of freed slaves. Founded by Reverend Morgan London Latta in 1892. The former slave of the Cameron family was one of Shaw University’s first graduates. The historic landmark was lost to a fire in January of 2007. It was the last of remaining of 26 structures. The 2-acre site is currently owned by the City of Raleigh. It’s the Latta House Foundation’s desire for it to be converted into a memorial teaching park and cultural center.
• The following are some of the privately owned homes listed with the National Registry of Historic Places: Willis M. Graves House, Rev. Plummer T. Hall House and the John T. & Mary Turner House.
PEOPLE MAKE A COMMUNITY
A FEW OF OUR MANY CONTRIBUTING ASSETS
• Dr. James E. Shepherd – In 1909 founded North Carolina Central University. Formerly known as the NC College For Negroes, it was one of the first state supported colleges in the nation for African Americans.
• John H. Baker (1935- 2007) -served as North Carolina’s first black sheriff for nearly 2 decades. He was also a former pro football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• In 1956, Joseph Holt Jr. and his family would be one of the first to challenge Raleigh’s segregated school system. http://www.joeholtstory.com
• Historic Oberlin Village had a host of educators, doctors and those who served in the military. Some honorably sacrificing their lives for our country.
MEMORY LANE
• “As a child, I can remember the early morning visits from the milk truck and the ice man. The neighbors who had farms would come by to sell fresh vegetables.†– Mrs. Minnie Pearce Turner Williams
• “Easter Sunday everyone would visit Mr. Arthur Sheppard’s flower garden for a corsage or lapel. They would also pick flowers to place on the graves of loved ones passed.â€- Mr. Joseph Holt
• “There was a pond off lake Boone Trail where people would walk down for baptisms.â€- Mrs. Rose Morgan Goode
• “I do remember during the summer months when gypsies would set up camp in Cameron Woods. (Location of Harris Teeter) They would come in their wagons and were dressed in colorful clothing. They would stay for weeks.â€- Mrs. Mamie Haywood
FOR MORE INFO
• Contact the City of Raleigh’s Historic District Commission
• Visit your local library or book store to read Culture Town by Linda Simmons–Henry
• Tour the Raleigh City Museum
• The senior residents are your best source yet. Make an introduction today!
10/15/2008
I want to thank the organization & volunteers that have assisted to maintain this cemetery where my great & great-great grandparents are buried and actually mentioned in some of the comments that have been added [Arthur Shepard was my great grandfather and his wife Mollie Shepard comes from the Haywood family and her parents and family members are buried there as well.] I recall the condition the cemetery was in about twenty years or so ago when I was a teenager visiting from New York with my Uncle Lonnie “Joe” Shepard. I’ll definitely be in touch with Latta House Foundations and the local chapter of my fraternity Kappa Alpa Psi to assist in the volunteer efforts and raise awareness of the rich history of this community.
02/27/2012
There will be another clean-up on Saturday, March 25th, 2012
02/28/2012
The cemeterycensus.com web page that this article mentions, including transcriptions of names legible on markers, many photos, and a Google map link, is published here http://cemeterycensus.com/nc/wake/cem252.htm.
02/28/2012
Barry
That’s great to have that link! Do you want to get involved with this project. We are going to try and get some historic recognition and protection.
E-mail me at : donna.bailey.nc@gmail.com
10/19/2012
Good afternoon,
We have visited our daughter twice in the last year, she moved from Minnesota and lives in Oberlin Court. The first visit we went around the cemetary parimeter several times a day but didn’t have time to explore. Two days ago I walked all the way around a very large block, down to Cameron Village and back along Oberlin finally finding a parking lot access to the cemetary. It is a surreal experince to walk amongst the woods, tombstones, markers, and undergrowth of this isolated and very private place. I read many markers and was surprised at the age of many of the intured residences of the cemetary. For the time of their life to live to the seventy’s eighty’s and even nineties was amazing. I would recommend others take thet time to visit and pay their respects to these folks that were part of our American Heritage. I wish you well in trying to provide a more respectful updating for these fine Americans.
Thanks for letting me find out about my exploration location in Old Oberlin village.
Tony 10/19/12
10/20/2012
Here’s an update from The Friends of Oberlin Cemetery: We are in the process of getting the cemetery designated a Raleigh Historic Site. We are getting signage with the information and plan to put up a small kiosk with some brochures. There will be another clean up on Sat November 3,2012 from 9-12. We can use all the help we can get!
01/23/2013
I grew up in Oberlin, my father’s family lived around the water tower, on Chamberlin Street. We lived on Chamberlin, and Bedford Ave…..my grandparents, aunts, and uncle all lived within walking distance of each other. Most of the elders are gone; but I remember ‘West’ Raleigh fondly. The whole cemetery was directly behind Oberlin Elementary school I attended {it went from the 1rst to 6th grade}. The community used to clean up the cemetary 2 to 3 times a year. When the YWCA was built, they covered a lot of graves, I know this because the school playground ended at the cemetery. I don’t think they even considered or tried to seek family members. Yes, Culture Town is a good reference for anyone wanting to know about the old Oberlin. My father is gone now, but my neighbor who used to be my playmate is still living in her homestead on Bedford Avenue.
01/23/2013
Beatrice — Thanks for sharing your reminiscences of Oberlin and its historic cemetery. I also remember the old school building and that awesome water tower! You may be interested to know that there is a campaign currently underway to have Oberlin Cemetery designated a Raleigh Historic Landmark. The N&O reported on that effort today in the Midtown Raleigh News. http://www.midtownraleighnews.com/2013/01/22/22833/hidden-oberlin-cemetery-could.html
01/29/2013
Beatrice, If you’re in the area, I would love to have contact with you. Like Raleigh Boy said, there is a group, The Friends of Oberlin, that is working on the cemetery. We should be getting the cemetery designated a Raleigh Historic Site at the Feb 19th city council meeting. In addition, we are working on doing some mapping, getting a historic marker, building a kiosk with some information. We hope to do some restoration at some point too. We could really use some help!
My e-mail is: donna.bailey.nc@gmail.com
02/20/2013
Thanks what a wonderful article.
09/05/2013
A friend of mine lived in the older apartment just to the south of the cemetery. It was 35 years ago when I first discovered it was there. Very overgrown, with sections on the northern side that were nearly impossible to walk around. unless you wanted to “bushwack”. Even back then you were in awe of the site, due to its age, neglect and its location amongst the denser development. I remember to the north before the newer apartments and development, the LARGE grassy field with a few large trees scattered among it. We traverse from Oberlin down to Wade ave, through that field many times.
03/28/2014
“My Folks Don’t Want Me to Talk About Slavery” edited by Belinda Hurmence and available at the Mordecai House bookstore includes 21 WPA interviews conducted in the 1930s with former slaves, most living in Wake County.
Included is an interview with Parker Pool, who may be the husband of Oliff, [from http://cemeterycensus.com/nc/wake/cem252.htm #108 in Oberlin Cemetary: Poole, Oliff (b. abt 1849 – d. 17 Feb 1929) age 79, Wife of Parker Poole]. Also included is an interview with Simuel Riddick from 2205 Everette Ave, across the street from Oberlin Cemetary (and probably in one of the unmarked graves). He was 95 when interviews in the 1930s.
This volume, written in former slaves own words, is extremely moving. Highly recommended!! And a subset of 176 oral histories conducted among NC former slaves in the 1930s by the Federal Writers Project held in the Library of Congress under the heading Slave Narratives. As Oberlin was a key black free man settlement, it seems likely a review of the full collection might turn up additional reflections from citizens buried in the Oberlin Cemetary.
03/30/2014
“My Folks Don’t Want Me to Talk About Slavery†edited by Belinda Hurmence and available at the Mordecai House bookstore includes 21 WPA interviews conducted in the 1930s with former slaves, most living in Wake County.
Included is an interview with Parker Pool, who may be the husband of Oliff, [from http://cemeterycensus.com/nc/wake/cem252.htm : “#108 in Oberlin Cemetery: Poole, Oliff (b. abt 1849 – d. 17 Feb 1929) age 79, Wife of Parker Poole”]. Also included is an interview with Simuel Riddick from 2205 Everette Ave, across the street from Oberlin Cemetery (and probably in one of the unmarked graves). He was 95 when interviewed in the 1930s.
This volume, written in former slaves own words, is extremely moving. Highly recommended!! And a subset of 176 oral histories conducted among NC former slaves in the 1930s by the Federal Writers Project held in the Library of Congress under the heading Slave Narratives. As Oberlin was a key black free man settlement, it seems likely a review of the full collection might turn up additional reflections from citizens buried in the Oberlin Cemetery.
Wish I had been available for the cemetery sprucing up. Please add me to your e-mail list for future spruce up days!