Greenwood Avenue, positioned just south of 67th Street, serves as the gateway to a prestigious neighborhood distinguished by its lush landscapes, winding roads, and four small lakes. This area is home to a renowned gathering of influential figures including mayors, civil rights leaders, athletes, scientists, and business professionals, as well as Chicagoans from various backgrounds.
The location in question is the historic Oak Woods Cemetery, which has been a significant part of the city’s landscape for 173 years. This week, amid its solemn yet picturesque grounds, the Rev. Jesse Jackson will take his place among the luminaries interred there.
Charles Birnbaum, president and CEO of the Cultural Landscape Foundation, highlighted the cemetery’s importance, noting the contrast between the well-known Graceland Cemetery on the North Side and Oak Woods, which also boasts substantial historical significance. “Oak Woods is yet another great cemetery of substantial scale that is part of the city’s unrivaled historic fabric,” he remarked.
Established in 1853 and recording its first burials in 1865, Oak Woods Cemetery was envisioned at a time when Chicago was burgeoning, with a population of just around 30,000. The cemetery was designed by landscape gardener Adolph Strauch, known for his contributions to the “landscape lawn” movement, which sought to create cemeteries that resembled parks rather than mere burial grounds. Strauch’s impactful designs also include Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati.
Oak Woods exemplifies this vision with its gently rolling hills and curving streets, featuring names such as Sunset Boulevard and Memorial Drive. The cemetery showcases a diverse array of architectural styles in its monuments, reflecting nearly two centuries of burial design inspired by various historical influences.
Visitors to Oak Woods experience a harmonious blend of manicured lawns, diverse plantings, and striking monuments that create a serene and inviting atmosphere. Birnbaum noted, “There’s no fences around family burial plots,” allowing visitors to explore the grounds freely.
The cemetery’s list of distinguished interments is noteworthy. Alongside Jackson, Oak Woods is the final resting place of prominent figures such as civil rights leader Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Olympian Jesse Owens, and notable Chicago politicians like Harold Washington and Gene Sawyer. Additionally, Oak Woods contains the largest Confederate burial ground in the North.
Historically, the cemetery faced significant challenges regarding racial equality in burial practices. Oak Woods had previously turned away Black burials until the NAACP and local leaders, including Rev. Clay Evans and Rev. A.R. Leak, organized a protest in 1963, prompting changes that opened the cemetery to all.
In this context, Jackson’s burial in a place transformed by civil rights activism serves as a fitting tribute to his legacy. As his name joins the impressive roster of those resting at Oak Woods, it reflects the cemetery’s ongoing story—a narrative of change, resilience, and the celebration of lives that have shaped local, national, and international landscapes.