White Rose Cemetery

GPS Coordinates: 36.741690, -95.986863
Location: Bartlesville, Washington County
Record count: 10,782

Ownership: City of Bartlesville

Directions: Located southwest of downtown Bartlesville, the cemetery sits at the southeast corner of Virginia Ave and W 11th St.

Background: White Rose Cemetery began as the City Cemetery in October 1898, when the city sought to establish an official burial ground. A site south of town was laid out on February 24, 1899, and the cemetery later became known as Union Cemetery before receiving the name White Rose Cemetery around 1905. A major milestone came on April 29, 1904, when the Cherokee Nation deeded 10 acres—known as McCaleb’s Addition—to Bartlesville for cemetery use, expanding what would eventually grow to about 20 acres and more than 12,000 graves. The earliest recorded burial dates to February 17, 1893, and the first recorded plot sale occurred in September 1906. Important organizational developments included the first Memorial Day service in 1900, the formation of the Bartlesville Ladies Cemetery Association in 1907, and the creation of the White Rose Cemetery Board in 1999. Additional key dates include the construction of the Greek Neoclassic-style mausoleum beginning in 1921, its transfer to the City in 1954, and the cemetery’s first annual Luminary Service in 2003.

Burial Records

• City Burial Records, by Interment.net, November 13, 2025, (10,782 records)

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