National Register of Historic Places

Oak Hill Cemetery Historic District

Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa
Listed
May 7, 2013
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
13000243

About this property

Oak Hill Cemetery is a rural cemetery located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 17 resources, which included 13 contributing buildings, one contributing site, two contributing structures, and one contributing object. Cedar Rapids was platted on the east bank of the Cedar River as Rapids City in 1841, and it was incorporated in 1849. The first burials in the town were in what was called the village cemetery. It was located at what is now Eighth Street and Fifth Avenue SE. Oak Hill Cemetery was established as Rose Hill, also known as Mount Washington, in 1853 on farmland outside of town that belonged to Gabriel Carpenter and Freeman Smith. The graves in the village cemetery were relocated here. They include some of the founders of Cedar Rapids. Chicago landscape architect Horace W.S. Cleveland was employed in 1869 and again in 1880 to prepare a plan for cemetery improvements giving it a rural picturesque landscape design. The Cedar Rapids architectural firm of Josselyn & Taylor designed the main entryway on the northwest corner of the cemetery in 1908 as a memorial to Lawson Daniels. It is composed of a gable-roofed shelter house, rustic stone walls and gateposts of cut glacial boulders, and decorative iron gates. Landscape architect, Ossian C. Simonds was hired in 1911 to redesign a portion of the cemetery's landscape. The buildings that contribute to the historic nature of the cemetery include the caretaker's house and garage, the barn, the gateway shelter house, and nine mausoleums. The contributing structures include the stone walls and gateposts. The contributing objects include gravestones and monuments that are counted as a single object. The designed landscape is the contributing site. Charles A. Clark, Civil War Medal of Honor recipient Edgar E. Clark, Grand Senior Conductor of the Order of Railway Conductors and Interstate Commerce Commission commissioner Walter Donald Douglas, businessman who died in the Titanic disaster John Ely, state-level politician instrumental in abolishing capital punishment in Iowa John Taylor Hamilton, United States House of Representatives 1891-1893 Henry Otis Pratt, United States House of Representatives 1873–1877

Location

Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa
41.97592, -91.64641

Categories

ARCHITECTUREEUROPEANLANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Oak Hill Cemetery Historic District

This page lists Oak Hill Cemetery Historic District. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Oak Hill Cemetery Historic District report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Bohemian Commercial Historic District
Civil War
0.4 mi
Best Oil and Refining Company Service Station
Industrial
0.5 mi
Brown Apartments
Industrial
0.6 mi
Brewer, Luther A. and Elinore T., House
Industrial
0.7 mi
Perkins, Charles W. and Nellie, House
Industrial
0.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Oak Hill Cemetery Historic District listed on the National Register?

Oak Hill Cemetery Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 7, 2013.

What type of historic resource is Oak Hill Cemetery Historic District?

Oak Hill Cemetery Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Oak Hill Cemetery Historic District?

The period of significance for Oak Hill Cemetery Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Oak Hill Cemetery Historic District?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Oak Hill Cemetery Historic District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Linn County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Linn County.

Explore LinnCounty ›

More historic places in Iowa

Browse all historic places in Iowa.

View Iowahistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Iowa history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Iowahistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Oak Hill Cemetery Historic District will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report