The cemetery is accessed by a private driveway at the north side of Interact at 1012 Oberlin Road opposite the intersection of Mayview Road.

A new wooden entrance to the cemetery was constructed in 2013 by two Boy Scouts. Justin Do of Troop 346 Eagle Scout service project, he led the construction of a brick path with steps for the Historic Oberlin Cemetery in Raleigh, NC. Michael Olson of Troop 310 Eagle Scout service project, he led the construction of wooden benches and a brochure rack for the Oberlin Cemetery in Raleigh, NC.

This 2.93-acre cemetery is owned by the families that "own" the numerous family plots.

The cemetery is laid out in a grid pattern divided into family plots. Many of the plots are marked with stones, brick, and concrete borders. Graves are oriented east-west in the Christian tradition.

It is believed that at least 600 graves occupy the cemetery; however, only approximately 145 scattered headstones currently exist. Most graves are not marked.

Oberlin Cemetery is a Raleigh Historic Landmark.

Oberlin cemetery is one of only four known public African American cemeteries in Raleigh. It served the families of the historic Oberlin Village, considered the largest freedman's village in Wake County during the Reconstruction Era.

Officially established in 1873 the cemetery is believed to date back to earlier. According to oral tradition, the cemetery started as a slave graveyard on the Cameron plantation. Dozens of fieldstones without inscriptions could potential be the only markers left of slave burials. Several wooden grave markers once stood near the front of the cemetery; however, they disappeared in the 1990's. According to oral tradition, these wooden grave markers, without inscriptions, marked the graves of slaves.

In 1924 Pine View Cemetery was added as an annex to the original Oberlin Cemetery. This annex contained an additional 135 family plots and is still in use. In 1971 the original section of the cemetery was full and its documented use ended. Today the original cemetery and this annex are referred to jointly as Oberlin Cemetery.

Currently the cemetery is preserved and maintained by the Friends of Oberlin committee.