Spring Grove Cemetery

Spring Grove Cemetery
The Gothic Revival Dexter Memorial at Spring Grove Cemetery
Location Cincinnati, Ohio
Built 1855
Architect Adolph Strauch et al.
Architectural style Gothic Revival
Governing body Private
NRHP Reference # 76001440[1]
Added to NRHP May 13, 1976

Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum (733 acres) is a nonprofit garden cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the second largest cemetery in the United States[2] and is recognized as a US National Historic Landmark.

History

The cemetery dates from 1844, when members of the Cincinnati Horticultural Society formed a cemetery association. They took their inspiration from contemporary rural cemeteries such as Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, and Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[3] The numerous springs and groves suggested the name "Spring Grove".[4] On December 1, 1844 Salmon P. Chase and others prepared the Articles of Incorporation. The cemetery was designed by Howard Daniels[5] and formally chartered on January 21, 1845. The first burial took place on September 1, 1845.

In 1855, Adolph Strauch, a renowned landscape architect, was hired to beautify the grounds.[6] His sense and layout of the "garden cemetery", made of lakes, trees and shrubs, is what visitors today still see. On March 29, 2007, the cemetery was designated a National Historic Landmark.[7] The Spring Grove Cemetery Chapel is listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places.

Description

Spring Grove encompasses 733 acres (2.97 km2) of which 400 acres (1.6 km2) are currently landscaped and maintained. Its grounds include 12 ponds,[8] many fine tombstones and memorials, and various examples of Gothic Revival architecture.

As of 2005, its National Champion trees were Cladrastis kentukea and Halesia diptera; its State Champion trees included Abies cilicica, Abies koreana, Cedrus libani, Chionanthus virginicus, Eucommia ulmoides, Halesia parvifolia, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Phellodendron amurense, Picea orientalis, Picea polita, Pinus flexilis, Pinus griffithi, Pinus monticola, Quercus cerris, Quercus nigra, Taxodium distichum, Ulmus serotina, and Zelkova serrata.

Notable burials

See also Category:Burials at Spring Grove Cemetery.

Weeping statue at Spring Grove Cemetery
Grave of Salmon P. Chase at Spring Grove Cemetery

SpongeBob SquarePants headstone controversy

On October 23, 2013, the staff at Spring Grove Cemetery removed a SpongeBob SquarePants headstone from the resting spot of U.S. Army Corporal Kimberly Walker only one day after her funeral. The headstone and another next to it for future use by Walker's twin sister, Kara, were removed after the family had been given copyright permission to use them.[19] In February 2014, the cemetery and Walker's family reached an agreement, and the original headstones were reinstalled with the addition of full granite slabs to shield them from people passing by.[20]

See also

Notes

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23.
  2. http://www.springgrove.org/Cemeteries.shtm[]
  3. The Cincinnati Cemetery of Spring Grove, Report for 1857. C. F. Bradley, printers. 1857. p. 3.
  4. Picturesque Cincinnati. John Shillito Company. 1883. p. 194.
  5. "A Walk in the Park: Spring Grove Cemetery". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  6. Stradling, David (1 October 2003). Cincinnati: From River City to Highway Metropolis. Arcadia Publishing. p. 35. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
  7. "National Historic Landmarks Designated". National Park Service. 13 April 2007. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  8. Rolfes, Steven (Oct 29, 2012). Cincinnati Landmarks. Arcadia Publishing. p. 43. Retrieved 2013-05-19.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 "Judge Civil War Generals". The Spring Grove Family. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  10. "Judge Jacob Burnet". The Spring Grove Family. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  11. Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried: A Directory Containing More Than Twenty Thousand Names of Notable Persons Buried in American Cemeteries, with Listings of Many Prominent People who Were Cremated. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 264. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  12. 12.0 12.1 "Judge Jacob Notable Burials". The Spring Grove Family. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  13. "Levi Coffin". National Park Service. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  14. Juettner, Otto (1909). 1785-1909: Daniel Drake and his followers; historical and biographical sketches. Harvey Publishing Company. p. 70. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 "Spring Grove Cemetery". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  16. "Heinie Groh Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  17. 17.0 17.1 Cook, William A. (2004). Waite Hoyt: A Biography of the Yankees' Schoolboy Wonder. McFarland. p. 209. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  18. "Isaac M. Jordan". Sigma Chi Fraternity. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  19. "Ms Walker’s family are furious with the graveyard’s U-turn after paying $13,000 (£8,000) for the headstone and getting copyright approval from Nickelodeon.". Metro.co.uk. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  20. "Family, cemetery reinstall SpongeBob headstones but with changes". Cincinnati: Hearst Television Inc. 14 February 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati.


Coordinates: 39°09′52″N 84°31′22″W / 39.164559°N 84.522672°W