- Oak Ridge Cemetery -

City of Springfield

The first purchase of land outside the city of Springfield was made in June, 1855. In May, 1856, a second purchase was made enlarging Oak Ridge Cemetery to 28 1/2 acres. Ever growing in size, the newest section opened after 1945. Today it contains the graves of over 70,000 people and covers 365 acres. It is the largest cemetery in Illinois. Over 2.5 million people visit this historic cemetery every year, making it the seond most visited cemetery in the United States, following Arlington National Cemetery. Throughout the cemetery are memorials to Illinois veterans of the Korean War, Vietnam War and World War II

Many prominent Illinois figures are interred here, the most notable being President Abraham Lincoln who rests here with his wife (Mary Todd Lincoln) and all but one of their children. Lincoln's Tomb was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966, and Oak Ridge Cemetery on August 4, 1995.