Oak Ridge Cemetery

Oak Ridge Cemetery

Abraham Lincoln's tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery.
Location 1441 Monument Ave., Springfield, Illinois
Coordinates 39°49′25″N 89°39′28″W / 39.82361°N 89.65778°W / 39.82361; -89.65778Coordinates: 39°49′25″N 89°39′28″W / 39.82361°N 89.65778°W / 39.82361; -89.65778
Area 365 acres (148 ha)
Built 1855
Architect Saunders, William
Architectural style Classical Revival, Romanesque
NRHP Reference #

95000986

[1]
Added to NRHP August 4, 1995

Oak Ridge Cemetery is a cemetery located in Springfield, Illinois, in the United States.

The Lincoln Tomb, which serves as the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln, his wife and all but one of his children, is located at Oak Ridge. A number of other prominent politicians and persons from Illinois are also buried at the cemetery.

As a result of Lincoln's Tomb, Oak Ridge is the second-most visited cemetery in the United States, after Arlington National Cemetery.[2]

Oak Ridge is the 3rd and now only public cemetery in Springfield, the other two cemeteries were the City Cemetery and Hutchinson.[3] Oak Ridge was designed by William Saunders as part of the Rural Cemetery Landscape Lawn Style.[3] The location of the cemetery was carefully selected because of the topography, which included rolling hills which was key in the Rural Cemetery Landscape Lawn Style. The many oak trees in the cemetery is how Oak Ridge got its name. The ridge borders low-lying Spring Creek, creating landscaped topography unusual in central Illinois.

The newest section, in the southwest, of Oak Ridge opened after 1945. The design follows the Memorial Park style cemetery in which roadways are wider to accommodate vehicles.[3]

The Cemetery has memorials for the Korean War, World War II and the Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial. A museum of Central Illinois African-American history is located adjacent to the cemetery.

Notable burials

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ www.graveyards.com
  3. 1 2 3 National Register of Historic Places
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