In 1850 the City of Atlanta purchased six acres of farmland for use as a public burial ground. In 1872 the burial grounds were named Oakland Cemetery, and had grown to encompass 88 acres. Most of this growth was to accommodate for the increased deaths during the Civil War as soldiers were moved from battle field graves. The cemetery is now run by the Historic Oakland Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the site as a historic landmark.
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