If you're in Austin and hankering for a mix of history and Halloween haunts, the city's Parks and Recreation Department is serving up a tech-savvy twist on cemetery exploration that marries the past with the present. The Oakwood Cemetery, one of Austin's historical crown jewels, is not just giving folks an in-person stroll among the tombstones. Now, thanks to a delightful digital endeavor, anyone with internet access can engage with the city's departed denizens virtually.
Austin's Oakwood Cemetery has long been a repository of the city's historical narrative, hosting the remains of over 4,000 souls, many of whom were African American and laid to rest in unmarked graves. Now, Jennifer Chenoweth, the cemetery's museum site coordinator, tells KXAN, the virtual space is connecting people to that very history. "Austin’s contemporary life and community is really different than historic Austin and but we all want to feel like we belong here and understand our home. Without a way to learn about our past, we feel disconnected," Chenoweth explained. Virtual visitors, from the international African diaspora or history enthusiasts, can now "tour" the cemetery through a smartphone or VR headset, discovering stories and tombstone tales aplenty.
But for those looking to dial up the dial to a more seasonal frequency, Oakwood is serving up a very tangible, shiver-inducing opportunity. Complementing the digital immersion is a chance to walk the cemetery grounds under the narrative guidance of Austin’s oldest spirits – metaphorically speaking, of course. According to a Youtube video, the cemetery is offering its annual murder, mayhem, and misadventure tours this Saturday – steeping participants in the city's mysterious past just in time for Halloween.
The Oakwood Legacy website features 3D scans and offers insight into the lives, and deaths, of those who helped build the city. "There are only 300 headstones for people in that area, and there’s not very good records about where all the others are buried," said Chenoweth. The website also boasts virtual exhibits from a cadre of city, state, and national organizations, among them the Austin Fire Department, and Huston-Tillotson University – bringing the multifaceted story of Austin to a global audience with a click, and a scroll. So whether you're a history buff or a ghost chaser, Austin's Oakwood Cemetery invites you to connect with the city's spectral heartbeat, virtually – or quite literally.
