Historic Oberlin Cemetery
Founded:
Location:
1873
Raleigh, NC
History:
In 1873, Nicholas Pettiford sold the one-acre tract of the Pettiford homestead he inherited from his father, Jesse, for $45 to the trustees of Oberlin Cemetery. The deed indicated that the land be sold in lots for burials. Daniel Green was a cemetery sexton, likely for the Oberlin Cemetery. By 1880, Oberlin Village was flourishing, with about 160 African American households on large rural lots. Around 1911 the Turner family sold or donated a tract for additional burial plots, called Pineview. John Turner became the cemetery sexton and Hubert Jeffries was paid $2 to dig the graves. The two cemeteries were annexed together when the the National Registry application was submitted. During the 2016 pedestrian survey of the cemetery, 1087 records were recorded using a high-resolution Ground Penetrating Radar (GPS) unit resulting in a specially enabled database. An estimated 660 interred were identified by monuments and/or sunken graves. Twenty-seven (family) enclosures and six family markers were identified. The monuments were made from carved stone, cement, metal plaques, a wooden head board and field stones. They are decorated with Bible verses, symbols and characters indicating their passions and contributions to their community. The stories of the lives and accomplishments of the interred souls bring to light the contributions made to N. Carolina and US history. The volunteers of the Friends of Oberlin Village have worked tirelessly since 2011 to uncover and preserve this forgotten history to honor the folk buried in Historic Oberlin Cemetery.
