Oakwood Cemetery Chapel

The Fall 2019 exhibition "To Believe" explores Black East Austin's historic and contemporary practices of faith and belief. Our inspiration is Reverend Jacob Fontaine, a man freed from slavery at age 57 who founded six Baptist churches, the St. John Association, married 111 couples, and created Austin’s first Black newspaper “The Gold Dollar.” For the full exhibit, visit https://austin.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=ec5d3032f7ac4096a92d477eb6a03adf

Visitors have an opportunity to walk through Oakwood Cemetery, reflecting upon the history and culture of Austin’s early Mexican American community during the times of legally enforced segregation. Our inspiration is Danny Camacho, a native Austinite who volunteered endless hours researching history and Tejano genealogy. This Story Map documents burials of Mexican Americans, Tejanos, and people with Spanish names who helped make Austin and remain at Oakwood. Full exhibit: austintexas.gov/oakwookchapel

The Oakwood Cemetery Chapel Spring 2020 exhibit appreciates Austin’s musicians, including the Besserer Orchestra, the Gant Family, Ernest "Ernie" Mae Crafton Miller and Gene Ramey. They played in music halls such as Scholz Garten, Pressler Beer Garden, and the New Orleans Club. John and Alan Lomax were known for traveling the world to record folk music as musicologists. Read the full exhibit here: https://austin.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=546a62bfcb794e66bdf85711a7ff3e7e

All Together Here is an exhibit to interpret the archaeology project at the Oakwood Cemetery Chapel. During the rehabilitation of the Chapel in 2016, there was a painful discovery: the Chapel had been constructed over preexisting burials. For the full exhibit, visit https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/eacb51b55ce945889c23f6f8ba62d186

To Vote recognizes Austin's suffragists during the 100th, the 55th, and the 45th anniversaries of all women gaining the right to vote in America. Many people who worked hard for that right are buried in Austin’s municipal cemeteries. For the full exhibit, visit https://austin.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=8a1262763ed9459c9b78b26a65228b21

To Remember considers the various types of grief, loss, and love across cultures. This exhibit shows many different forms of remembrance including burial and funeral practices, memorial anniversaries, cemetery maps, and genealogy research. “To Remember” features photo, video, oral history, and digital map content to describe how cultural traditions help us hold the space for grief and loss. For the full exhibit, visit https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/616b0a82decf412f89e64e4e724cd706

To Elevate demonstrates the legacy of Huston-Tillotson University, an HBCU (Historic Black College/University) in Austin, Texas. The exhibit tells the story of those that planted the seeds of Huston-Tillotson’s beginnings, those that carefully tended and spent their life’s energy on managing, improving, and building upon HT, as well as those that continue to pass the torch onward in the elevation of its mission. For the full exhibit, visit: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/f959ebdb1da8497bb4323f