Oakwood Cemetery, Huntsville

Oakwood Cemetery, Huntsville

Oakwood Cemetery is one of Huntsville’s oldest landmarks, established in 1847 when town founder Pleasant Gray deeded land for a public burial ground. Over the decades it became the final resting place for many of Walker County’s early settlers, civic leaders, and soldiers. Among its most notable burials is General Sam Houston, but Oakwood is also remarkable for the number of Civil War veterans interred there. Today, the cemetery contains the graves of 178 known Civil War soldiers—167 Confederates and 11 Union veterans—whose service reflects both Walker County’s direct role in the war and the broader movement of veterans who made Texas their home after the conflict.

The Civil War Project has documented these burials in detail in the book Civil War Veterans Buried in the Oakwood Cemetery, which preserves the stories of these men and provides a comprehensive record of their service. In addition, a special walking tour guide of Oakwood Cemetery has been prepared for the Hood’s Texas Brigade Association Seminar in Huntsville, November 7–8, 2025, allowing visitors to experience this history directly among the stones and monuments. Oakwood remains not only a place of rest but also a place of remembrance, connecting modern Texans to the sacrifices and struggles of the Civil War generation.