Oak Cemetery
The historic burial ground in
Fort Smith is one of the most
historic in the nation.
The historic burial ground in
Fort Smith is one of the most
historic in the nation.
Lawmen and Outlaws
Oak Cemetery was a burial
site for both Old West lawmen
and outlaws, key figures in
the history of Fort Smith.
Oak Cemetery was a burial
site for both Old West lawmen
and outlaws, key figures in
the history of Fort Smith.
Oak Cemetery - Fort Smith, Arkansas
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Oak Cemetery in Fort Smith, Arkansas
| Oak Cemetery in Fort Smith, Arkansas The statue marking the grave of Captain James E. Reynolds recalls his rescue from a battlefield by two young women during the Civil War. |
Burial Ground on the Frontier
One of America's most historic cemeteries
covers 30 acres in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Oak
Hill Cemetery is the final resting place of
soldiers, lawmen and outlaws and tells the
history of the Old West in marble and stone.
Fort Smith was a bastion of law and order on
the Western Frontier. It was here that Judge
Isaac C. Parker, the real "Hanging Judge" of
the Old West, held court for the Western
District of Arkansas. During his career on the
bench at Fort Smith, Parker and his deputies
brought law and order to the frontier. He
hanged more men than any other Federal
judge in U.S. history and the lives of both
Parker and his deputies were memorialized
in such films as Rooster Cogburn, True Grit,
and Hang 'Em High.
At Oak Cemetery, the history of this wild era
of American expansion can be read in stone.
More than 100 of Parker's deputy marshals,
guards, posse members and court officials
are buried here. They are both black and
white and eight (seven deputies and a jail
guard) were killed in the line of duty.
Also buried at Oak Cemetery are 33 outlaws
of the Old West, all convicted of murder. Of
these men, 28 met their fates on the gallows
at Fort Smith.
Oak Cemetery is also the final resting place
of 122 Confederate soldiers. All survived the
war and were buried here in the years that
followed. Among the most noteworthy is
Sarah Ish Parke, a female Confederate spy,
smuggler and courier who died on January
19, 1918.
Captain James E. Reynolds, a Confederate
soldier from Mississippi who later built the
famed "Captain's Castle" in Cameron,
Oklahoma, is buried beneath a unique
monument of a wounded soldier behind
helped by two young women. The statue
pays tribute to two teenage girls who rescued
the wounded Captain Reynolds from the
battlefield of New Hope, Georgia.
covers 30 acres in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Oak
Hill Cemetery is the final resting place of
soldiers, lawmen and outlaws and tells the
history of the Old West in marble and stone.
Fort Smith was a bastion of law and order on
the Western Frontier. It was here that Judge
Isaac C. Parker, the real "Hanging Judge" of
the Old West, held court for the Western
District of Arkansas. During his career on the
bench at Fort Smith, Parker and his deputies
brought law and order to the frontier. He
hanged more men than any other Federal
judge in U.S. history and the lives of both
Parker and his deputies were memorialized
in such films as Rooster Cogburn, True Grit,
and Hang 'Em High.
At Oak Cemetery, the history of this wild era
of American expansion can be read in stone.
More than 100 of Parker's deputy marshals,
guards, posse members and court officials
are buried here. They are both black and
white and eight (seven deputies and a jail
guard) were killed in the line of duty.
Also buried at Oak Cemetery are 33 outlaws
of the Old West, all convicted of murder. Of
these men, 28 met their fates on the gallows
at Fort Smith.
Oak Cemetery is also the final resting place
of 122 Confederate soldiers. All survived the
war and were buried here in the years that
followed. Among the most noteworthy is
Sarah Ish Parke, a female Confederate spy,
smuggler and courier who died on January
19, 1918.
Captain James E. Reynolds, a Confederate
soldier from Mississippi who later built the
famed "Captain's Castle" in Cameron,
Oklahoma, is buried beneath a unique
monument of a wounded soldier behind
helped by two young women. The statue
pays tribute to two teenage girls who rescued
the wounded Captain Reynolds from the
battlefield of New Hope, Georgia.
 | |  | |  | |  |
Historic Oak Cemetery is located at 1401
South Greenwood in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
The cemetery is open to the public daily, but
is closed at night. For more information,
please click here to visit the official website.
South Greenwood in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
The cemetery is open to the public daily, but
is closed at night. For more information,
please click here to visit the official website.
| Copyright 2009 by Dale Cox All rights reserved. |
History Written in Stone
A walk through Oak Cemetery
reveals the names of key
frontier individuals.
A walk through Oak Cemetery
reveals the names of key
frontier individuals.
lor.
Law and Order in Fort Smith
Oak Cemetery contains the
graves of seven U.S. Deputy
Marshals killed on the job.
Oak Cemetery contains the
graves of seven U.S. Deputy
Marshals killed on the job.
Captain's Castle - Cameron, Oklahoma
Fort Smith National Cemetery
Fort Smith National Historic Site
Fort Smith Area Historic Sites
Books on the Civil War in Arkansas
Historic Sites in Arkansas
Explore other Southern Historic Sites
Fort Smith National Cemetery
Fort Smith National Historic Site
Fort Smith Area Historic Sites
Books on the Civil War in Arkansas
Historic Sites in Arkansas
Explore other Southern Historic Sites