Oakland Cemetery’s Sunday in the Park Festival Located less than a mile from down town Atlanta, historic Oakland Cemetery is the city’s oldest and one of its largest green spaces. The cemetery began as a public burial ground in 1850 with 6 acres of land and was known as Atlanta Graveyard or City Burial Ground. With the onset of the Civil War, the grounds grew to 48 acres. It was renamed Oakland Cemetery in 1872 and families used to picnic and visit their loved ones buried on the grounds. Families and friends eventually moved away or became too busy and didn’t tend to the graves and the cemetery became neglected. In 1976, interested parties began reviving the public space, it was listed on the national register of historical places, and these volunteers formed the Historic Oakland Foundation (HOF). The foundation would take over the restoration and maintenance of the cemetery.…