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THE SCARIEST STICKER IN HUMAN HISTORY 1 AVOID GETTING YOUR HANDS DIRTY THIS HALLOWEEN
HOW TO STAY SAFE ON A SPOOKY NIGHT 2 WE’RE HERE TO HELP
MISO CARAMEL APPLES
SELF-DEFENSE COURSES FOR WOMEN 3 THE HISTORY OF OAKLAND CEMETERY 4
THE HISTORY OF ATLANTA’S MOST FAMOUS FINAL RESTING PLACE Ghost Stories of Oakland Cemetery
In 1850, Atlanta was a city of 2,500 people. While that’s nothing compared to the booming metropolis it is today, it was enough for early residents to decide they needed a cemetery. The original site was a mere 6 acres and named simply Atlanta Cemetery. By 1872, the grounds had expanded to 48 acres and been renamed Oakland Cemetery. In a strange bit of trivia, Oakland Cemetery is Atlanta’s oldest park. It’s also home to a number of famous residents including Margaret Mitchell, author of “Gone With the Wind”; Bobby Jones, one of the greatest golfers of all time; and Maynard Jackson, Atlanta’s first black mayor.
countless ghost stories. Every year during the week of
Halloween, the cemetery puts on tours throughout the grounds that are beautiful and frightening in equal measure. The grounds immaculately kept Victorian-style gardens become eerie under the dim lights, and some of the dead make a return in the form of actors playing some of Oakland’s well- known residents. You’ll have to decide for yourself whether or not there are any supernatural beings dwelling in the cemetery as well.
Oakland Cemetery’s layout reflects the nature of race relations throughout the history of the city. The original 6-acre plot was split among Jewish and Christian sections. Later, “Confederate,” “New Jewish,” and “Black” sections were added, along with Potter’s Field, an area designated for those too poor to own an individual burial site. In the Jim Crow South, it seems, it was not enough
for folks to segregate the living; they sought to segregate the dead as well. Recently, the city has made efforts to combat the injustice present in the cemetery’s layout. When Mayor Ferguson died, for example, he was buried in the original 6-acre plot.
Given the long and sordid history of Oakland Cemetery, it’s no surprise that it’s the setting for
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