Suffolk, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Oak Lawn Cemetery

Photographed by Cynthia L. Clark, October 4, 2020

1. Oak Lawn Cemetery Marker

Inscription. Seven African American trustees acquired land here in 1885 and established Oak Lawn Cemetery. Community leaders interred here include John W. Richardson, president of the Phoenix Bank of Nansemond; Wiley H. Crocker, founder of the Tidewater Fair Association and Nansemond Development Corporation; William W. Gaines, Baptist minister and founder of the Nansemond Collegiate Institute; Fletcher Mae Howell, Baptist missionary; Dr. William T. Fuller, physician and banker; and William H. Walker, Tuskegee Airman. Also buried here are late-19th-century local politicians, United States Colored Troops, and veterans of World Wars I and II, Korea, and Vietnam.

Erected 2019 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-163.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1885.

Location. 36° 43.878′ N, 76° 35.364′ W. Marker is in Suffolk, Virginia. It can be reached from the intersection of Market Street and

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Henley Place, on the right when traveling west. Located on the west side of the Municipal Parking Lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 440 Market Street, Suffolk VA 23434, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Hampton Roads,

specifically in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Booker T. Washington High School (approx. 0.3 miles away); President's Days Plaque (approx. 0.4 miles away); Old City Hall Bell (approx. 0.4 miles away); Obici-Oderzo Fountain Marker (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Site of the First Church

K-163 Oak Lawn Cemetery. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cynthia L. Clark, October 4, 2020

2. K-163 Oak Lawn Cemetery.

The viewer is looking eastward along Market Street.

(approx. half a mile away); First Suffolk Church (approx. half a mile away); Mr. Peanut (approx. half a mile away); Korea and Vietnam Wars Memorial (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Suffolk.

More about this marker. Installed on October 4, 2019, K-163 Oak Lawn Cemetery was ceremoniously unveiled by the Historic Oak Lawn Cemetery Foundation on October 6, 2019, according to the Suffolk News-Herald.

Photographed by Cynthia L. Clark, October 4, 2020

3. Oak Lawn Cemetery Marker

The marker stands near the curve in the road where Market Street changes to Henley Place. A corner of Suffolk’s City Hall building is pictured left and the Police Precinct No. 1 is pictured at its right.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 8, 2020, by Cynthia L. Clark of Suffolk, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,357 times since then and 93 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 8, 2020, by Cynthia L. Clark of Suffolk, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.