Entry No. 27 — the Oklahoma City file — filed under: haunted
Fairlawn Cemetery (OKC's oldest)
Established 1892 on what was once a cornfield, Fairlawn is Oklahoma City's oldest cemetery, with roughly 40,000 graves and a roster of frontier-era stories. Among them: the small grave of child Joseph 'Jay' Phillip Beemblossom, a victim of Wild West outlaw Bert Casey's gang during a robbery, and Frank M. Canton, a former criminal who became a famous lawman alongside Heck Thomas and Bill Tilghman before serving as Oklahoma's adjutant general. A local blog maps out the most notable residents for a self-guided wander.
The move: Pull up the Quirky Driven Life self-guided write-up on your phone and turn it into a quiet headstone-hunting walk, tracking down the outlaw victim's child grave and the outlaw-turned-lawman among the century-old monuments.
📍 Before you go The cemetery sits in central OKC's Paseo/Uptown area, with its main entrance and office off N Shartel Avenue; the grounds are laid out on a grid, so note section and row numbers when you arrive. With roughly 40,000 graves spread across the property, plan to do some walking — pair the local blog's map with Find A Grave, which has GPS coordinates on many notable headstones to help you pinpoint them. Cooler months and full daylight make for the most comfortable, well-lit wander. This is an active cemetery, so keep voices low, stay on the paths, and steer clear of any service or mourners. Afterward, the galleries and restaurants of the Paseo Arts District are just a few blocks east.
- 📍 Paseo / Uptown
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 2700 N Shartel Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73103
Hours: Daytime visiting hours; check at the cemetery office (2700 N Shartel).
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: quirkydrivenlife.com · okcemeteries.net
last checked: 2026-06-06