Oakland Cemetery officially opened as City Cemetery in 1847, but the earliest tombstone found there dates to 1842. At least sixteen mayors are buried there, as well as some 1,000 Confederate veterans and soldiers. The elaborate iron fences and walls were erected in 1905, the same year it was renamed Oakland Cemetery. Oral tradition suggests that many slaves and former slaves were buried there prior to the establishment of Star Cemetery. Oakland was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.