Special areasConfederate and Hebrew cemeteriesland given in 1867
Photo: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.The place
A cemetery beside the Capitol, with two cemeteries inside it.
Historic Oakwood Cemetery was founded in 1869 in Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina. It lies in the Historic Oakwood neighborhood, near the North Carolina State Capitol, and covers 102 acres.
Two special areas sit within it: the Confederate Cemetery, on the original two and a half acres, and the Hebrew Cemetery. Both were given for that purpose by Henry Mordecai in 1867.
Who rests here
Governors, senators and people from many walks of life.
The burials read like a history of the state: several governors of North Carolina, including Charles B. Aycock and William Woods Holden, along with U.S. senators and congressmen, Confederate generals, first ladies of the state, and a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient.
There are also writers, educators, lawyers and reformers, among them journalists, a state librarian, the suffragist Cornelia Petty Jerman, and a well-known college basketball coach.
Photos
The cemetery grounds.
An angel monument and old gravestones, with rows of white headstones beyond a stone wall. Carol M. Highsmith, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.A tall obelisk rising above old graves under a clear sky. 2BKNIGHT, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sold by Viator. Prices and review counts checked on 09/09/2026. This walking tour is about the Historic Oakwood neighborhood and its architecture; check the tour description to see whether it enters the cemetery.
Questions people ask
Before you go.
When was Historic Oakwood Cemetery founded?
It was founded in 1869 in Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, near the State Capitol in the Historic Oakwood neighborhood.
How big is Historic Oakwood Cemetery?
It covers 102 acres.
Who is buried at Historic Oakwood Cemetery?
Several North Carolina governors, including Charles B. Aycock and William Woods Holden, as well as senators, congressmen, Confederate generals, a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient and a state librarian.
What are the Confederate and Hebrew cemeteries?
They are two special areas inside the cemetery. The Confederate Cemetery occupies the original two and a half acres, and the Hebrew Cemetery is also there. Henry Mordecai gave the land for both in 1867.
More to see
Around Raleigh
More things to do around here
Walking tours, day trips and experiences around this area, on GetYourGuide.
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