November 16, 2021

OAKLAND CEMETERY

248 Oakland Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312

“Oakland Cemetery is one of the largest cemetery green spaces, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded as Atlanta Cemetery in 1850 on six acres of land southeast of the city, it was renamed in 1872 to reflect the large number of oak and magnolia trees growing in the area.” Wikipedia

Before pulling out of the Carter Center parking lot my nephew, Eliot, ordered lunch from Nick’s Food To Go (more on that later). As Eliot navigated the streets of Atlanta’s southeast side on our way to the restaurant he mentioned that we were approaching the “neighborhood” where the homes of Kenny Rogers, Bobby Jones, and “that woman that wrote ‘Gone With The Wind’ are located. (I was able to confirm it was Margaret Mitchell he was referring to.). Being the quick thinking person I am (said sarcastically), I realized we were passing a cemetery. There was a stately brick fence along side the road, but the glimpses of the markers inside the cemetery showed that this was an old cemetery.

Nick’s Food To Go, is in a non-descript building next to an open gravel lot. There was one window on the side of the building with a line of 8-10 people waiting at the window. It was like a food truck, only out of a building. Nick’s serves Greek food, and Eliot had ordered us each a Lamb Plate. We waited in line for about 15 minutes till we got to the window where Eliot identified himself and the arm from behind the window handed out a sack with our food. I wish I would have taken a picture or two here as I now realize this experience was something new and different for me.

With our food in the car we set out to find a place to eat on this beautiful day. Eliot drove directly to the cemetery, explaining that he had dined in the cemetery several times. Who was I to object? After driving around inside the cemetery Eliot parked in an open area and we ate our lunch consisting of a Greek salad, sliced lamb, Greek potatoes, a pita bread, and tzatziki sauce. It was wonderful.

After eating we just started walking in the cemetery, and the further we walked the more intrigued I was. I became fascinated with the markers both with their unique designs and inscriptions. The cemetery was neatly divided into many plots roughly 25’ x 25’, which we determined family plots. A few of the plots had mausoleums and elaborate sculptures. There were plots that were immaculately clean and landscaped, and others that have not stood up so well to the elements over time. There is a Confederate Burial Ground, where Confederate soldier graves are marked with military style markers similar to those in national cemeteries.

Eliot and I spent about an hour touring the cemetery (this really wasn’t on the itinerary) and had interesting conversations surrounding some of the markers and inscriptions. We wondered about the wealth of some of the families, especially those with large mausoleums, and pondered income disparities as we walked past the African American Burial Grounds where very few markers exist any more.

As I mentioned, this wasn’t anywhere near my list of things to do in Atlanta, but it turned out to be one of the more thought-provoking stops I’ve experienced since starting to travel. If you are visiting Atlanta and have some free time I would highly recommend a trip to the Oakland Cemetery.