Take a Closer Look at the Foundation of Oakland: Bricks (Part 1)

By Ashley Shares, Director of Preservation

Oakland Cemetery’s main entrance gate, constructed in the early 1900s

Recently, I was giving a tour of Oakland Cemetery wherein I discussed the different stones and materials present on-site. When asked what was the most abundant material at the cemetery, I answered instinctively that marble and granite dominate the landscape here at Oakland, easily comprising 99% of our monuments and walls. But as I walked on, the realization hit me that I’ve been overlooking what was right below my feet.

So much focus here gets placed on the robust fortitude of our granite or the delicate stoicism of our marble that we forget about the humble blocks that quite literally pave the way for us all to safely traverse the cemetery, guiding us closer to each beautiful statue and tomb: Bricks.  

Bricks can be found all over the cemetery—in walls, pathways, gutters, buildings like the bell tower, and even a mausoleum. Maybe it is their ubiquity or their apparent simplicity that makes us take them for granted, rarely considering their rich and complex history, or that Oakland is home to at least five different varieties. Whatever the cause of our ignorance, today we are going take a deep dive into the history, geology, and controversies of Oakland brick.  

Bricks in Oakland Cemetery set without mortar

The earliest record of bricks being used at Oakland was for above-ground tombs and the 1869 office and dead room, a small one-story three-room building constructed by Buice, Sherwood and Co. The aforementioned brick tombs were located in the Original Six Acres section and by the 1870s, had fallen into a state of disrepair and were torn down. The 1869 office was later torn down and replaced with the current Bell Tower building, which is constructed of brick and stones.  

Although these tombs and the old office no longer remain, many of the bricks from later beautification efforts do. The 1890s and early 1900s were a boom-time for Oakland. Beginning in 1895 and 1896, respectively, the laying of brick pathways and construction of a brick perimeter wall began. Pathways and roads at Oakland had originally been dirt, but as you might imagine, these were difficult to maintain in rainy seasons. Most of the wider roads were paved with chert or limestone screenings and had brick edges. The smaller roads or pathways were paved with brick, either set in sand or dirt or in cement. Brick paving wrapped up in 1914 in the African American Grounds, although almost immediately after, many pathways were ripped up and re-laid in cement. Interestingly, there are some sections of the pathway at Oakland that are still set without mortar. You can recognize them by the moss and grass growing between all of the bricks!  

A family plot at Oakland enclosed by bricks

The construction of the perimeter wall took nearly as long. The old stone wall that had partially enclosed the cemetery was torn down and its stones reused in the area of the cemetery bordering the CSX rail lines. It also included the construction of 6 gated entryways. The project happened in multiple phases and wrapped up in 1909 with the addition of terracotta caps that not only looked fashionable but also prevented water from infiltrating and slowly damaging the wall. This wasn’t enough to protect against the forces of time and nature, though, and the wall was rebuilt in 1998, utilizing a 2.8M bond referendum. Unfortunately, much of the brick you see today is not original to the wall.  

Oakland is home to a single brick mausoleum—the Wade Hill Mausoleum. It is thought to be the oldest mausoleum at the cemetery, dating to 1876 when Wade Hill was placed there after his October 31 death.  It was permanently sealed in 1908 with the interment of Caroline Hill Chisholm.  

Brick buildings still standing at Oakland include the Bell Tower (1899), guard house (1901), coal house (1910), Stables/carriage house (1909), the Mens and Women’s Comfort Stations (1908), and most recently the Visitor Center (2024). Bricks in these pathways are from at least 4 companies: Mifflin Hood, Calhoun, Rockmart, and Chattahoochee Brick Companies.

We’ll be deep-diving on these in future blogs, so check back as we explore Oakland’s foundation, brick by brick!