Entry No. 25 — the Dallas file — filed under: cemetery
Oakland Cemetery
A 47-acre Victorian 'silent city of the dead' opened in 1892, with over 30,000 burials beneath ancient oaks, magnolias and crape myrtles. Its standouts include a life-sized gossamer-clad marble angel shipped from Genoa, Italy to watch over the Armstrong plot, and Confederate monuments carved by craftsmen from Florence and Venice -- plus a pet section rumored to hold a horse and a monkey.
The story
In 1891, when downtown Dallas was running out of space for its dead, real estate promoter O.S. Riggen bought farmland in South Dallas to map out a 19th-century 'silent city.' Formally opened in 1892 as the city's first perpetual-care garden cemetery, Oakland was laid out across winding carriage drives under ancient post oaks and magnolias rather than a rigid grid. Scan the headstones along the outer loops and you are reading a street map of modern Dallas carved into granite: Belo, Dealey, Thornton, Zang, and Ervay.
The real draw here is the sheer Gilded Age flex of the monuments. High-flying Dallas tycoons did not rely on local stonemasons for their eternal rest. For the Armstrong family plot, a life-sized, gossamer-draped marble angel was carved in Genoa, Italy, and shipped across the Atlantic. Nearby, intricate monuments feature carving executed by artisans imported from Florence and Venice, all anchored by a towering 42-foot-7-inch granite obelisk at the center of the grounds.
You will also find stranger, quieter corners if you wander past the grand mausoleums. Local lore firmly insists that a horse and a monkey are buried in the pet section—though official cards only explicitly confirm a dog buried in 1965 beside Nellie Wood Kiest. Down in Section 14, far from the robber-baron opulence, lies 12-year-old Santos Rodriguez, whose tragic 1973 death at the hands of a Dallas police officer sparked the city's modern civil rights movement.
What it's like
Pull off Malcolm X Boulevard onto Oakland Circle, park along the loop outside the heavy wrought-iron gates, and slip inside a completely quiet, fenced-in sanctuary. The 47-acre grounds are strictly walking-only, so use the central obelisk to orient yourself before veering down the gravel paths beneath the oaks and magnolias. It feels unhurried, melancholic, and slightly overgrown in the corners where wild prairie grass reclaims century-old stone. Avoid midday summer heat—Texas sun under open sky is brutal—and remember this remains an active working cemetery in a residential neighborhood, so keep your voice down and yield to any mourners.
The move: Do a slow self-guided wander from the tall central obelisk outward, hunting for the imported Italian marble angel and the strangest monuments. Pack a thermos and turn it into a quiet, romantic graveyard ramble; in October the Dallas Historical Society runs a costumed Halloween tour if you'd rather have a guide.
📍 Before you go It sits in South Dallas just off Malcolm X Blvd; look for the old wrought-iron gate at Oakland Circle on the east side, between MLK and Pine. The grounds are fully fenced and walking-only, so park along the loop and explore on foot, starting at the tall central obelisk to orient yourself. Cooler seasons and daylight make the long ramble most pleasant; midday summer is brutal under the open oaks. The costumed history tour is October-only and ticketed, so plan ahead. This is a quiet working cemetery in a residential area, so keep voices low and be respectful. Pair it with nearby Fair Park.
- 📍 South Dallas (off Malcolm X Blvd)
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 3900 Oakland Circle (3900 block of Malcolm X Blvd), Dallas, TX
Hours: Walking only; entrance on east side of Malcolm X between MLK and Pine. Halloween tour is a seasonal ticketed event via Dallas Historical Society.
Pair it with
- Freedman's Cemetery Memorial — Pair Oakland's grand Victorian tycoon monuments with this solemn 1860s burial site in Uptown to understand the fuller, more complex story of early Dallas.
- Sons of Hermann Hall — Head two miles north into Deep Ellum after your walk for a cold drink inside a creaky 1910 German fraternal lodge with historic bowling lanes.
- Cedars Bowler Hat & Stanley's Umbrella — Trade 19th-century Italian marble angels for surreal roadside art in nearby The Cedars, featuring a giant 20-foot steel bowler hat and umbrella.
Good to know
How do I find the Genoa marble angel?
Start at the 42-foot central obelisk and head into the older interior plots; look for the Armstrong family lot under the canopy of oaks.
Are a horse and monkey actually buried here?
Cemetery lore says a horse and a monkey share the pet section, though official records only document human interments and a pet dog buried in 1965.
Can I drive through the cemetery grounds?
No, Oakland Cemetery is walking-only. Park along Oakland Circle near the east gate off Malcolm X Boulevard between MLK and Pine.
Is there a guided tour available?
The cemetery is self-guided year-round during daylight hours, but the Dallas Historical Society hosts a ticketed, costumed Halloween history tour every October.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · dallashistory.org · dallasgenealogy.org · hmdb.org
last checked: 2026-06-06