Spring cleaning at Oakwood Cemetery

As Easter approaches, the Oakwood Cemetery Association will begin its annual spring cleanup on Sunday, March 1.  

Oakwood Cemetery Association President Ted Lewis said it was always the association’s goal to have work completed at the historical cemetery in Jacksboro ahead of the annual holiday, this year falling on Sunday, April 5.

Families were asked to check on burial spaces to remove any misplaced or unsightly flowers, or any remaining Christmas or holiday arrangements. 

All items placed on the ground must be removed to prepare the grounds for mowing, cleaning, trimming and other maintenance. Those items included flowers, easels, vases, solar lights or mementos.

Lewis said anyone wishing to keep their flowers or other personal items should remove them by Sunday, March 1, when any remaining or prohibited items will be removed by cemetery caretakers. Anyone with questions regarding what were or were not acceptable items were directed to see the policy posted inside the cemetery, obtain a copy from Coker Funeral Home or view the rules and regulations on the association’s website at oakwoodcemeteryjacksborotx.com.

“Members of Oakwood Cemetery Association sincerely thank you in advance for your help with this cleanup effort and wish to express their ongoing gratitude for the community’s continued support and cooperation,” Lewis said.

Oakwood Cemetery in Jacksboro had its beginning around 1859, though many unmarked graves in the oldest section of the cemetery indicated people were buried there before that date. Land for the cemetery was given by old settlers between 1883 and 1904.

When the county’s first undertaker arrived in Jacksboro in 1882, concern was given to form an association for the care and supervision of the grounds. The Oakwood Cemetery Association was organized in 1899 and chartered in 1908. 

An endowment fund was established in 1948 for the perpetual care of the cemetery. Through gifts and a general campaign the fund grew, and with additional gifts and memorials through the years, the fund was a reliable source of income for maintenance and special needs at the cemetery when the sale of grave sites and annual fund gifts were insufficient.

Oakwood Cemetery is located on Oakwood Avenue in Jacksboro. Visit the association’s website for more information.