National Register of Historic Places

Oakland Cemetery Historic District

Princeton, Bureau County, Illinois
Listed
September 1, 2021
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
100006864

About this property

Oakland Cemetery is a historic cemetery at 1007 North Main Street in Princeton, Illinois. The cemetery originated in 1836, five years after Princeton's founding, and was originally owned by Reverend Lucien Farnham as a burial ground for members of the Hampshire Colony Congregational Church. The city of Princeton leased the burial ground from the church in 1862 and bought a large plot of adjacent land, and by the next year they had combined the two plots and named them Oakland Cemetery after the oak trees there. Landscape architect L.L. Herron and surveyor Romanus Hodgman planned the grounds as a garden cemetery, a park-like style of cemetery which had become popular in the eastern United States at the time. The cemetery included a public picnic area, carriage paths, and a Gothic Revival office building. Many of the graves in the cemetery feature large, artistic monuments, including obelisks made from white bronze, statues of angels or the deceased, stone tree trunks, and Art Deco box tombs. The largest monument in the cemetery marks the grave of pioneer and local historian Nehemiah Matson; it is 34 feet (10 m) tall and made of 44 tons of granite, and it cost $4,600 when it was built in 1884. The cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 1, 2021, as the Oakland Cemetery Historic District.

Location

1013 Park Ave. West
Princeton, Bureau County, Illinois

Categories

ARTLANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
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 Oakland Cemetery Historic District

This page lists Oakland 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 Oakland Cemetery Historic District report
Or see a real report first

Questions about this property

When was Oakland Cemetery Historic District listed on the National Register?

Oakland Cemetery Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 1, 2021.

What type of historic resource is Oakland Cemetery Historic District?

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

What is the period of significance for Oakland Cemetery Historic District?

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

Can I research the history near Oakland 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 Oakland Cemetery Historic District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Bureau County

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

Explore BureauCounty ›

More historic places in Illinois

Browse all historic places in Illinois.

View Illinoishistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Illinois history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Illinoishistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Oakland 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