On This Day In Alabama History: Oak Hill Memorial Association Formed

By Alabama NewsCenter Staff

May 24, 1913

Oak Hill Cemetery, established in 1871 by the Elyton Land Company, was Birmingham’s first official city cemetery. It was also the first cemetery in Alabama to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. It received this distinction in 1977.

Many well-known Alabamians are buried in the cemetery, including governors Frank Dixon and William Hugh Smith, civil rights leader Fred Shuttlesworth, Titanic survivor Phillip Mock and legendary madam Louise Wooster. It is also the last resting place of notable businessmen Charles Linn, founder of the First National Bank of Birmingham and James W. Sloss, founder of Sloss Furnaces.In 1900, some businessmen decided to open a segregated cemetery. The wealthier citizens were encouraged to be buried in the new Elm Leaf Cemetery (later renamed Elmwood), which led to the decline of Oak Hill. The result was that some of the family members of people buried in Oak Hill formed a memorial association on May 24, 1913 aimed at cleaning up and maintaining the cemetery and preserving its long history.

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