OAK HILL CEMETERY

Oak HIll Cemetery Gates

Oak Hill Cemetery is located at 205 South Whitney Street  Johnson City, Tennessee. Bounded by Wilson Avenue, South Boone Street, Lamont Street and Whitney Street.

GPS location:  36° 18′ 53″N  082° 21′ 24″W

SECTIONS IN OAK HILL

Missing or Unmarked Graves

OAK HILL CEMETERY SECTIONS

Click on map to enlarge.

Civil War Veterans buried in Oak Hill

Thanks to the following individuals who helped with the survey and research of Oak Hill Cemetery:

Elaine Scott Cantrell, Project Manager

Betty Jane Hylton, Team Leader

Donna Cox Briggs, Bernie Gray, Geraldine Greenwell, Lucy Gump Barbara Hilton, Margaret Hougland, Thomas & Wanda Manning, Robert Shell

HISTORY OF OAK HILL CEMETERY

Oak Hill Cemetery was established when Col. Robert Love and Samuel Miller made a bond 2 May 1870 to trustees T.A. Faw, James M. Gentry, William H. Taylor, J.M. Johnson, J.W. Seehorn, I.H.P. Lusk, J.L.C. Nelson for title to 1/2 acre (Love) and 1/4 acre (Miller). Love and Miller reserved family plots.

Two graves were already on the land that Love contributed. These were his two young daughters, Leonora, 1849-1867 and Sarah R., 1866-1867. A death notice for Lonora Love appeared in The East Tennessee Union Flag newspaper

Jonesborough, Tennessee, 16 Aug 1867.

“DIED—At the residence of her father in Washington County, Tennessee, Miss Lonora Love, daughter of R. and S. Love in the 18^th year of her age.”

Records of Oak Hill Cemetery at the Archives of Appalachia, East

Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee shows that more land was added in 1896, 1898, 1901, 1914, 1918, 1938 and 1986. The original deed was recorded at the courthouse by Mrs. Mary Hardin McCown in 1946. Mrs. McCown operated the cemetery for 30 years.

The graves of the first mayor of Johnson City, Henry Johnson and wife Mary Hoss Johnson was transferred from the Hoss Family Cemetery in the 1400 block of Fairview Avenue to Oak Hill Cemetery in 1910. They were placed in the United Daughters of the Confederacy plot.

Throughout the years there has been vandalism to the tombstones. Committees have been organized for the support of the cemetery. At present (2011) Tom Manning is the Chairman of the Family and Friends of Oak Hill Cemetery.

The trustees quit claimed the cemetery to Jack Ragsdale in 2003. Sam McKinney purchased the cemetery in 2005 from Ragsdale. Chester Willis, a volunteer at Oak Hill, donated old records to the Archives of Appalachia, East Tennessee State University. In the Fall of 2008, Sam McKinney died and will the cemetery to his son Tim Mckinney.

The Cemetery Survey Team of NE TN was invited to survey Oak Hill Cemetery. The project was started in the Fall of 2009 and completed in the Spring of 2011. Elaine Cantrell was the project manager and has become the historian of Oak Hill Cemetery. Betty Jane Hylton was the team leader with Donna Briggs, Bernie Gray, Geraldine Greenwell, Lucy Gump, Barbara Hilton, Margaret Hougland, Robert Shell, Thomas and Wanda Manning. The team recorded 3,758 marked graves and 458 unmarked graves. Alan Jackson helped to identify the veterans buried in this cemetery. There are 67 Confederates, 10 Union, 1 War of 1812, 10 Spanish American, 3 Philippine-Americans, 58 World War I and 46 World War 2. There are many outstanding citizens buried here.

Margaret Hougland and Elaine Cantrell scanned the 798 3×5” cards that Mary Hardin McCown had created over a 30 years span of time. These cards had been in a fire when Chester Willis rescued them and donated them to the Archives of Appalachia. Elaine has been able to identify some of the remains in the unmarked graves from these records, as well as, comparing the survey records with previous surveys. Copies of the survey team’s records have been added to the Oak Hill Cemetery Collection at the Archives

Oak Hill Cemetery is an active and well kept. A beautiful place to visit and view the artwork on older markers.