Oaklawn Cemetery — Local services in Tampa

This is a great place to visit if you're into Tampa history. It's Tampa's oldest cemetery, located in what was once the northern outskirts of town. Oaklawn has grown to encompass other smaller cemeteries on this block, like the old St. Louis Catholic Cemetery. You can find former mayors, governors, Confederate soldiers, yellow fever victims, shipwreck casualties, Cuban pirates, a once-prominent Tampa mobster who was murdered, and Hillsborough County's first pioneer family. The grave of William Ashley is located here, which is interesting due to the fact that he is buried with his ex-servant turned partner, making this possibly the first interracial burial in Tampa. On a more poignant note, there are a few graves of slaves, with headstones simply listing their first name, year of death, and method of death: hanging.

Despite being across the street from the HARTline terminal, a few blocks from the I-4/275 ramps, and right by all the hustle and traffic of Downtown Tampa, Oaklawn is able to retain a somewhat peaceful charm. The cemetery itself is safe during the day, but I wouldn't visit it at night. The city locks it up and patrols it, but there is evidence of some homeless people sneaking in and sleeping there at night.

Overall, Oaklawn Cemetery is a must-see place for anyone who is into Tampa and Florida history, as well as those who claim that Tampa has no history dating from before air-conditioning...

I spent nearly two hours here reading gravestones and learning about Tampa's history. Highly recommend to any fan of history as a way to get to learn about the people and families who made Tampa what...

Has the feel of an old, southern cemetery with the Oak trees and Spanish Moss intersparsed with graves both new in appearance as well as very old. Similar to Lafayette Cemetery #1 in New Orleans...