In December of 1865, a small group of community leaders established the Oak Lawn Cemetery Association. Oliver H. Perry prepared and filed the necessary papers with the Connecticut General Assembly which authorized the purchase of 12 acres near Bronson Road.

From its inception, Oak Lawn’s leaders wanted to create a park-like setting that attracted visitors. That mission is adhered to by the cemetery’s current leadership.

In our first year of full operation, 23 lots were sold for an average price of $31.25, and sixteen people were interred. In the early years, the cemetery also functioned as a historical society and botanical garden, maintaining records of the past.

During the 1860’s and 1870’s more land was purchased, operations expanded and the cemetery hired its first full time superintendent. Through careful financial management the association’s finances stabilized enabling the grounds to be maintained in a consistent, manicured fashion.

In 1892, Arthur Osborn Jennings, a local banker, became president of the association, a position he would hold for 25 years. Under Jennings’s tenure, the cemetery acquired three additional parcels of land totaling over 40 acres. He modernized operations and established many innovations including the installation of a 10,000 gallon water tank that was filled from the Mill River.

In the early 20th century, Mabel Osgood Wright, community activist and founder of the Connecticut Audubon Society, took on an active role in the cemetery’s maintenance and landscaping. She and her sister felt that the grounds had become too cluttered and overgrown with trees and shrubs. A committee was formed to “devise ways for improving and beautifying the cemetery grounds.” The result was a more open, park-like landscape which is Oak Lawn’s trademark today.

Throughout the twentieth century, numerous noted community leaders served as Chairman of Oak Lawn’s board of directors including William O. Burr, Oliver Gould Jennings, J. Walter Perry, Elbert S. Overbaugh, and W. Eben Burr. Our current chairman is David S. Huntington.

The cemetery’s records show many of Fairfield’s familiar notables who played important roles in shaping, building and defining the spirit, soul and essence of Fairfield and surrounding communities. We are Fairfield’s history. Since the Oak Lawn Cemetery Association was incorporated on Dec. 29, 1865, it has grown and evolved to fulfill its founders’ mission. Far more than a burial place for Fairfield County, Oak Lawn is a proud reflection of the area’s rural roots, its place in American history and the growing community it serves.

By Bronson Hawley and Bob Weinstein