National Register of Historic Places

Oak Hill Cemetery

Pontiac, Oakland County, Michigan
Listed
June 19, 1989
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
89000493

About this property

The Oak Hill Cemetery is a cemetery located at 216 University Drive in Pontiac, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Pontiac was first settled in 1818 and 1819 by the Pontiac Company, and in 1822 the company set aside a parcel of land just east of town for use as a cemetery, church, and parsonage. In 1839 the village of Pontiac hired Captain Hervey Parke to survey the parcel and lay out a lot as a cemetery. This became the first portion of the present Oak Hill Cemetery, and the grounds were plotted for use by 1841. Over time, more land was allocated to the cemetery until it reached its present size by about the turn of the century. Various improvements were made over the years, including replacing the original cemetery office, which burned, and adding the gate and fencing. The cemetery contains the remains of six veterans of the Revolutionary War and well over 27 veterans of the Civil War, including General Israel B. Richardson, Michigan governor Moses Wisner, and General Joseph T. Copeland. The Oak Hill Cemetery is located on a section of high, sloping ground east of downtown Pontiac. Groves of large, old trees, primarily hardwoods, cover the grounds. The cemetery is separated by University Avenue, with 15.6 acres north of University and 7.3 acres south. In the northern section, roadways and plots are laid out in a rectangular array, while south of University the roadways are laid out in a curvilinear form. A simple, wrought iron picket fence lines the road. The cemetery office, a single story, front-gable structure of rock-face fieldstone, is located on the south side of University. Nearby is the Buckland Memorial Chapel, dating from 1898. The chapel is a sandstone structure built in an old English style. A number of mausoleums also dot the grounds. National Register of Historic Places listings in Oakland County, Michigan

Location

216 University Dr.
Pontiac, Oakland County, Michigan
42.64312, -83.28586

Categories

COMMERCEARTEXPLORATION/SETTLEMENTARCHITECTUREMARITIME HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
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.

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The Land
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Geology
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The Civil War
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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Nearby Historic Sites

Fairgrove Avenue Historic District
Listed
0.4 mi
Central School
Industrial
0.4 mi
Pontiac Commercial Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.5 mi
Eagle Theater
Industrial
0.5 mi
Howard, Horatio N., House
Industrial
0.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Oak Hill Cemetery listed on the National Register?

Oak Hill Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 19, 1989.

What type of historic resource is Oak Hill Cemetery?

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

What is the period of significance for Oak Hill Cemetery?

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

Can I research the history near Oak Hill Cemetery?

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