Historic 1867 Cemetery Above the St. Croix
Stillwater, MN
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free public access during posted daylight hours.
Access
Limited Access
Hilly grass and gravel paths; uneven older sections
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1867 · Stillwater Pioneer-Era Cemetery · Civil War Veterans Burials · St. Croix Valley Lumber-Era History
Oakwood Cemetery was established in 1867, during the peak of Stillwater's lumber-era growth. The St. Croix Valley had been opened to commercial timber operations in the 1840s, and Stillwater served as the regional sawmilling and shipping center. Oakwood was laid out on a hillside above the river to serve a growing community whose earlier burial sites were running out of room.
The cemetery contains a substantial section of Civil War veterans from Minnesota regiments, including First Minnesota Infantry survivors. Pioneer headstones from the 1860s and 1870s mark the older sections; later sections continued through the twentieth century. The grounds are managed as a municipal burying place.
Oakwood is in active use and is open to the public during posted daylight hours. Some sources include Oakwood among Minnesota's notable historic cemeteries for the architecture of its Victorian-era headstones and the views from the upper sections of the river valley.
Sources
Oakwood Cemetery appears in several Minnesota paranormal directories, including Hauntpedia's state listing and Minnesota Haunted Houses. The accounts describe a general atmosphere rather than specific named figures.
Visitor reports collected by these sources describe unexplained sounds among the older oaks, shadow movement glimpsed at the edge of peripheral vision near the lumber-era headstones, and the general impression of being watched while walking the upper sections of the hillside. The reports are not attached to a specific historical event or named individual.
The cemetery has not been the subject of sustained paranormal investigation in the way that larger or more touristed Minnesota cemeteries have. For purposes of a dark-tourism visit, Oakwood is primarily a place to walk Victorian-era headstones in a wooded hillside setting rather than to pursue a specific named haunting.
Walk a Victorian-era cemetery on a hillside above the St. Croix River. Older sections include pioneer headstones and Civil War veterans of Minnesota regiments. Bring a copy of the Washington County genealogical record to identify older markers.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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