The Guardian of Oakwood:
Historic Oakwood Cemetery, in the heart of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, has over 20,000 interments. It is the resting place for approximately 1,500 Confederate soldiers, five Civil War Generals, seven Governors, and numerous United States Senators. Founded in 1869, it is an excellent example of Victorian landscaping and mortuary art. Today, its 72 acres provide a beautiful memorialization for those departed and a source of serenity for visitors. Families come to remember loved ones, respect an ancestor, or learn about their community. It represents a unique connection to the past, exemplified by the people who rest here and their monuments.
The Guardian of Raleigh's dead, the Ratcliffe Angel.
Etta Rebecca White Ratcliffe was born on October 24, 1880, but died of a cerebral hemorrhage on May 28, 1918, after spending a month committed to the Dorothea Dix Hospital; she was 37. Standing dominant over Etta's grave is the Ratcliffe Angel. Although the angel is carved from Italian marble, many believe it can move! The statue, known as the 'Guardian of Oakwood,' has become the focus of many ghost stories and urban legends. But like many myths, they differ depending on who you ask!
As the story goes, the angel's eyes follow you around the cemetery during the day. After dark, she has been known to turn her head, denoted by the large crack on her neck, or flutter her wings.
The Guardian of Oakwood
The angel's face was carved in Etta's likeness. The intensity and unique detail of the eyes spark the imagination of those who like to spread ghost stories. However, the angel's back story is as strange as the urban legend developed around her. The statue came to Raleigh from Italy, ordered by Etta's husband, William Ratcliffe, a local knitting-factory magnate. The ship transporting her foundered and sank off Wilmington's coast, and the marble angel spent years underwater before she was recovered from the ocean floor, finding her way to her final resting place.
Many believe, "If she can rise from the depths of the sea, then she can probably turn her head."
Visitors leave money (quarters and dollars) at the base of the angel in the hope she will bring luck.
Portrait of William Ratcliffe and Etta White from 1900. Written on the back of the photograph, Will Ratcliffe and Etta White. (Image credit: Public Domain).
Image Source:
Unknown. (1900). William Ratcliffe and Etta White. Public Domain.
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