Oakwood Cemetery was originally established in 1839 as the “City Cemetery” at the then northeast corner of the original town plat. In 1856, the Texas legislature granted the property to the City of Austin. The City Cemetery originally consisted of 10 acres of land known as the Old Grounds but has grown to 40 acres divided into sections 1-4, including two Jewish sections. The earliest grave marker shown in historical records was 1840, although there is speculation that the earliest burial was in 1839. The cemetery has over 22,000 burials of people of many races.
