Oak Hill Cemetery is almost like a ‘history book’ of Battle Creek, because so many of the community’s important individuals are buried within its walls.

In its early years, the village had various burial sites, but as the small community grew, and expanded, those areas were needed for homes and businesses, so, in 1844, land was purchased that ran between South Avenue and Willow Street to be used to create Oak Hill Cemetery. Esther Anna Cox (wife of Dr. Edward Cox) was the first burial, after her death on May 21, 1844. As the years went by, the cemetery grew and now has thousands of graves. Strolling the grounds, you can find the city’s founder, Sands McCamly and his family, industrialists, John Nichols (Nichols and Shepard Threshers and Tractors), C.W. Post (founder of the Post Cereal), W.K. Kellogg and his brother Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (inventors of ‘flaked cereal’), along with important religious leaders, Ellen and James White (founders of the Seventh Day Adventist religion).

This program is the story of this important cemetery and its connection to the community it serves.