The first burials in the city of Cooper were made on a hill west of Dr. J.A. Blackwell’s old home, and the first burial was believed to have been the young daughter of Dr. R.C. Andrews. That site soon became undesirable, and in 1891 Asa White donated five acres for a cemetery. Most of the people buried in the old Cooper Cemetery were moved to this location. The oldest existing monument is that of Mary Cumming (1791-1881). The Independent Order of Odd Fellows cared for the cemetery and purchased additional land until Oaklawn Cemetery, Inc. was chartered on Nov. 17, 1959, and it continues to care for this historic community burial ground.