For years, Little Rock's Oakland and Fraternal Historic Cemetery has existed under the shadow of the better-known Mount Holly Cemetery located just a few miles to the east near downtown Little Rock, becoming known as one of the city's best-kept historical secrets, but on its 160th anniversary, a group of volunteers is hoping to change that.
In 1862, with Mount Holly Cemetery nearly full and needing a place to inter its mounting Civil War casualties, the city of Little Rock purchased the 160-acre Starbuck Estate from William Woodruff, Jane Woodruff and Mary Starbuck for $5,000, according to John Rains, Oakland and Fraternity Historic Cemetery sexton. On Jan. 1, 1863, Oakland Cemetery was established -- so named because it was located in what was at that time a wooded area about 2 miles from the Little Rock city limits. Over the years, the site came to encompass seven different cemeteries; Oakland Cemetery, Fraternal Cemetery, National Cemetery, an 11-acre Confederate cemetery and a separate 1-acre Confederate cemetery, B'Nai Israel Reformed Jewish Cemetery and Agudas Achim Orthodox Jewish Cemetery.
According to Preserve Arkansas, Fraternal Cemetery was created from a grant of 14 acres in the late 1880s at the request of several Black fraternal organizations, including the Knights of Tabor and the Mosaic Templars, as a final resting place for distinguished members of the Black community that had grown and prospered in Little Rock following the Civil War.
The combined cemetery, which has seen more than 62,000 burials since it was established in 1863, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. The Little Rock National Cemetery and the 11-acre Confederate Cemetery were listed on the National Register in 1996.
On Sunday, a group of about 60 people, including Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, gathered to celebrate the cemetery's 160 years since its establishment and to dedicate the Richard Colburn Butler III Bridge, a concrete bridge built to replace the deck of the original wooden structure that crosses over a drainage canal that runs through the cemetery that incorporates the original iron railings. Butler, who died in 2020, was a local attorney and historic preservationist who served on the Oakland and Fraternal Cemetery board of directors.
Oakland and Fraternal Cemetery Sexton John Rains, who is responsible for upkeep and maintenance of the cemetery, said that maintenance is partially paid for with investment income derived from burial fees and cemetery plot sales, which he said have dwindled in recent years, necessitating assistance from the city.
"They used to do hundreds of burials a year," he said. "Now we're down to about 30. That money is supposed to support the upkeep but it's been falling short."
Four years ago, an appeal to Bruce Moore, the long-time Little Rock city manager who died unexpectedly on Oct. 14, resulted in an additional $50,000 a year from the city to assist with upkeep but even that, Rains said, has been eroded by the rising costs associated with maintaining the cemetery.
Carolyn Eastham, chairwoman of the two-year-old nonprofit Friends of Oakland and Fraternal Historic Cemetery Park, said the group was formed to assist the 10-member cemetery board. At the celebration, the group sold raffle tickets for various items, including two sets of divining rods -- "You can use them to find your family members who are buried here," said Elaine Hinson, one of the group's board members -- a guide to researching cemeteries, gift buckets filled with marker cleaning supplies and other items, with proceeds going to assist with upkeep.
"We were formed two years ago to help friend-raise, to help fund-raise and to raise awareness in the community about Oakland Cemetery and its important place in history," Eastham said. "We hope to have an annual fall event to get a following of people and to maybe get some donations to help supplement the budget ... This is a beautiful place but a lot of people don't know it's here."
Also included to help raise funds were commemorative t-shirts and ball caps emblazoned with the cemetery logo made just for the 160th anniversary.
At the bridge dedication, Eastham, who was working to get the crowd assembled prior to remarks from Mayor Scott, struck up a conversation with Dr. Rosalie Lampone of Little Rock, who characterized herself as a long-time historic cemetery aficionado.
"I love cemeteries," Lampone said.
"Well then," Eastham replied, with a laugh, "you come sit by me."
"If you truly know Little Rock then you know how special this hallowed ground is," said Scott, as he dedicated the bridge. "Richard loved old places and old buildings and everyone who knew him knew that about him ... From the time he was a young man he had a passion to preserve what he could of the past for future generations to preserve and appreciate."
Scott Butler's lifetime of activism was evidenced by his participation on a number of historic preservation groups around the state, including the Quapaw Quarter Foundation in Little Rock -- which he helped found in 1968 -- and his membership the boards of the Pioneer Washington Restoration Foundation, the Arkansas Genealogical Society, the Pulaski County Historical Society, the Arkansas Pioneers Association and the Oakland-Fraternal Cemetery Board, to name a few.
Following the program, Scott said the historical significance of the Oakland and Fraternal Cemetery gives it a special place in Little Rock.
"I think anyone who knows Little Rock knows that Oakland Cemetery is foundational for the city," he said. "A lot of the city forefathers and foremothers have been laid to rest here and it's imperative as look even today that, as it has stood the test of time, we have to continue to make more investments so that future generations are able to show the dignity and respect that we have shown today and for years to come."
Scott said the Fraternal Cemetery is an integral part of that historical significance.
"Many of the folks from the Mosaic Templars, from the Bush family and a lot of power brokers from Little Rock's Black community are laid to rest here," he said. "You consider the late City Director Erma Hendrix who recently passed and it shows how her family was connected here as well."
Moving forward, Scott said the city will continue to include assistance to the cemetery as a line item in the city budget.
"As we've seen here today, we're going to have to look harder and make more of a commitment," Scott said. "We've been here, it's our cemetery and we're going to continue to make the improvements as needed for the future."