Self Guided Historic Tours
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1. Confederate Mound – In this lot are buried, 367 unknown Confederate Soldiers who were killed during the Civil War. In 1872, The Ladies Memorial Association, which became the Cape Fear Chapter #3, Daughters of the Confederacy, erected the monument. It consists of a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier and medallion likenesses of Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. Mr. O'Donovan of Virginia provided the design and Maurice J. Power at the National Art Foundry in New York, executed it. A North Carolina quarry furnished the granite pedestal. Located in the middle of Section K.
2. William Ellerbrock – A river boat captain, and his faithful dog “Boss” both lost their lives February 11, 1880 while helping fight a disastrous fire at Front and Dock streets. Ellerbrock’s friends and the citizens of Wilmington erected a monument to his memory. A relief of the dog is on the back of the monument that reads “faithful unto death”. Located in Section J; Lot # 32.
3. Honorable Edward B. Dudley – North Carolina’s first governor elected by popular vote. Located in Section D; Lot # 77.
4. Henry Bacon – Architect of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Located in Section D; Lot # 20.
5. Mrs. Rose O’Neale Greenhow – Confederate secret agent, drowned off the coast of Fort Fisher while running the blockade. Located in Section D; Lot # 18.
6. Annie DeRossett – The first interment in Oakdale Cemetery, February 5, 1855. She was the daughter of Dr. Armand J. DeRosset, the first president of Oakdale Cemetery. Located in Section D; Lot # 12.
7. Dr. William Crawford Willkings – A medical doctor, Willkings was slain in a duel stemming from a local political election in 1856. He is thought to be the last man killed in the South in a political duel. The Democratic Association erected the memorial. Located in Section B; Lot # 30.
8. Nancy Martin – While on a voyage in May of 1857 with her father and brother, twenty-four year old Nancy became ill and died. Not wanting to bury her at sea, her father placed her body in a large cask filled with spirits. Four months later, while still at sea, her brother John was washed overboard during a storm. When the grief-strickened father returned to Wilmington the family decided to keep Nancy entombed in the cask. Her grave is marked with a rustic cross simply inscribed “Nance.” Located in Section B; Lot # 78.
9. David Brinkley – A pioneer of broadcast journalism, best known as co-host for NBC’s nightly Huntley-Brinkley Report, from 1956-1970. Located in Section R;
Lot # 6.