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 a 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. Even then, though, 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 pieces 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 it has been documented and the names of its residents recorded for posterity. Their memories however, are still lost and forgotten.
Sign up for the Newsletter
Subscribe to RSS feed
Receive updates by Email
Become a fan on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
John Morris
Raleigh Boy
Devin McKim
Sid Fowler
uliveandyouburn
Adrienne Taylor
Ian F.G. Dunn
Ben Spiker
Paul Friedrich
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.”- Mr. Joseph Holt
• “There was a pond off lake Boone Trail where people would walk down for baptisms.”- 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.”- 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.