Following the devastation of Quantrill’s Raid in 1863, Lawrence survivors searched for ways to memorialize those killed in the attack. In 1864, the mayor urged the city to build a new cemetery since most raid victims were buried in Pioneer Cemetery which was far from town and difficult to maintain. A local newspaper editor helped gain public support for the project when he wrote that raid victims buried at Pioneer Cemetery were forgotten and their graves left unmarked.
Early in 1865, the city purchased land for a new cemetery. Instead of a simple, open cemetery, Lawrence’s city commissioners selected a rural cemetery design, with rolling hills, trees, and curving carriage paths which was the popular trend at the time. The new cemetery created a park-like space for the public. Oak Hill Cemetery soon became an important place to commemorate that terrible day in August 1863.For many years, citizens sponsored elaborate Decoration Day observances at Oak Hill, and by 1895, a local committee had raised funds to erect a large monument to honor the raid victims. The city continued to improve the cemetery through the late 1890’s by bringing city water to the site, constructing a receiving vault, and building a sidewalk from the downtown area.
There are so many individuals buried in Oak Hill who were influential during territorial days and the state’s formation that William Allen White once call the cemetery, “The Kansas Arlington.”
Information
Teaching with Oak Hill Cemetery is a four-part series which is part of Kansas standards–based lessons developed to enable students to understand, summarize, and evaluate materials provided related to the history, design and development of Oak Hill Cemetery. Each lesson was designed to stand-alone, but they may be used in multiple combinations to suit the needs of the educator. Taken together they tell a rich history of Kansas and Oak Hill Cemetery. This series is inspired by the National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places standards.
In the “What is a Rural Cemetery?” lesson students will be asked to analyze and evaluate the similarities and differences between Oak Hill, Greenwood, and Mount Auburn Cemeteries. Using a step-by-step process, students will acquire historical thinking skills and learn to analyze and assess primary and secondary source materials. Through close reading and comparative analysis students will make logical inferences building on the central question “What is a Rural Cemetery?”
In the “Symbolism in the Cemetery” lesson students will analyze the symbology utilized on grave markers in Oak Hill Cemetery. Using a step-by-step process they will acquire historical thinking skills and learn to read the meaning of these commemorative graphical depictions.
In the “Civil War Veterans” lesson students will investigate the histories of Civil War Veterans buried at Oak Hill Cemetery. Using a step-by-step process, students will acquire historical thinking skills, work with and organize data, and learn to analyze and assess primary and secondary source materials. Lastly, students will research and produce a story covering a Civil War Veteran’s history.
In the “People of Oak Hill” lesson students will explore the lives of notable Kansans buried at Oak Hill Cemetery. Using a step-by-step process, students will acquire historical thinking skills and will organize and analyze data. Lastly, students will develop and defend position statements and opinions about the importance of the contributions these Kansans have made to our society.