The City of Dublin

A. The Dublin Cemetery (International Order of Odd Fellows - I.O.O.F.)

Location:

190 Monterey Drive

The cemetery is located on the south side of State Route 33/161 (Bridge Street) next to the Dublin Community Church in Old Dublin.

Date Established:

July 1, 1858

Number of Interments:

4,357 (as of 2/1/10)

Condition:

Excellent

Available for Burials?

Yes. As of 1/2/10, there were 98 grave spaces available for purchase.

History

The Dublin Cemetery was founded by the Evening Star Lodge of the International Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.). About 10 years after the institution of the Dublin chapter in 1848, as their members began to pass away, they discussed the need for a fraternal burial ground. A committee was formed to procure grounds for private burials, and when this was found to be impractical, they decided to form an association in order to open a cemetery for use by the general public. A plot of land was purchased just west of the Christian Church (now the Dublin Community Church on Bridge Street in Old Dublin) and in July of 1858, the cemetery was opened. The first burial was that of Mary Elizabeth Graham on November 4, 1858, and many of the original members of the Odd Fellows Lodge, including Dr. Pinney, Zenas Hutchinson, and J.K. Thomas, are also buried here. A number of burials were moved from other nearby cemeteries, including Indian Run and the Deardorff Cemetery in Sharon township. It was decided in the 1970s that the Village of Dublin should take over the cemetery operations, and the Dublin Cemetery was dedicated on February 2,

Layout of Cemetery

The cemetery is divided into five sections

a. Old Cemetery

This is the original part of the cemetery and is located on the north side of the property close to Bridge Street. Most of the stones in this section are very old and some are beginning to show signs of erosion. Many offer fine examples of the quaint epitaphs and carvings favored by the early settlers. Number of burials in this section: 2,398 (as of 1/2/10). 

b. Section 1A

The First New Addition, created by the I.O.O.F. - Association when the need for burials began to over flow the old boundaries of the cemetery, is located south of the Old Cemetery. The earliest burial in this section was conducted in 1871, but it was used infrequently until the early 1900s. These lots are laid out with four, five, or six spaces per side, divided into east and west sides. Number of burials in this section: 1,365 (as of 1/2/10). 

c. Section 2A

The Second Addition encompasses a row of old graves along the eastern edge of the Old Cemetery (which may have been incorrectly listed as part of the Old Cemetery section when it was surveyed in 1968) as well as two and a half rows of newer graves arranged in a rectangular area between the Old Cemetery and the fence along the eastern edge of the property. These lots are laid out with four spaces per side, divided into east and west sides. Number of burials in this section: 193 (as of 1/2/10).

d. Section 3A

The Third Addition is a small rectangular area cut out of the southwest corner of Section 1A. The lots in this section are laid out with four spaces per side, with the east half of the lot divided into A & B, and the west half of the lot divided into C & D. Number of burials in this section: 112 (as of 1/2/10).

e. Section 4A

The Fourth Addition is the only section of the cemetery which contains lots available for purchase. It is located in the southwest corner of the property, from the western edge of Sections 1A and 3A to Monterey Drive. The lots in this section are laid out with four spaces per side, with the east half of the lot divided into A & B, and the west half of the lot divided into C & D. Number of burials in this section: 298 (as of 1/2/10).

B. Indian Run

Location:

West side of State Route 745 (Dublin Road), just south of Indian Run Creek and north of the Dublin Library.

Date Established:

1814

Number of Interments:

Unauthenticated records indicate that there were at least 114 interments, however less than 40 stones are still in evidence.

Condition:

This cemetery was restored in the late 1970s, when the stones were cleaned and some were re-set. Unfortunately, many stones are missing, and some of the stones still in evidence are in need of further repairs.

Available for Burials?

No.

History

The Indian Run Cemetery was the first burying ground to be established in Dublin, and the first burials were that of Polly King, the oldest daughter of Ludwick Sells, on January 16, 1814, and Mrs. George Ebey in March of 1814. It was the principle burying ground in Dublin for forty years, until the I.O.O.F. cemetery was established in 1858.

Many interments were moved to the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in the mid-1800s, and the last burial was made in Indian Run in 1877. After that time, the attention of the town shifted to the new I.O.O.F. cemetery, and Indian Run fell into disuse and disrepair. Many of the gravestones were broken by cows and vandals, and the original stone walls deteriorated. By the 1960s, it was little more than an unknown lot, completely overgrown with weeds. In 1975, the Dublin Historical Society took an interest in the cemetery, and started a restoration project that lasted more than five years. The area was cleared and a new stone wall was built. A layer of topsoil was removed to reveal the stones which had fallen, and after their locations were mapped, they were cleaned and removed for safe keeping while the restoration took place. The ground was re-graded, and the stones which could be repaired were re-set; a number of stones whose original locations could not be determined were set into the stone wall. The cemetery is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Layout of Cemetery

The cemetery lot is basically a square, with its northern edge along the ridge above Indian Run Creek. Originally, a stone wall was built completely enclosing the cemetery to keep out grazing animals, and the only means of entrance was through a turnstile erected in the southwest corner. When burials were conducted the coffins were taken up and down a set of stone steps on either side of the wall. The graves were most likely laid out in rows, with families owning their own sections. No map exists, however, of the original layout of the cemetery.

C. Mitchell

Location:

Southwest corner of State Route 745 (Dublin Road) and Emerald Parkway, at the top of the hill overlooking the Emerald Parkway Bridge over the Scioto River.

Date Established:

First burial was March 9, 1823.

Number of Interments:

23

Condition:

Excellent (restored)

Available for Burials?

No

History

The first burial was of Charles Mitchell, on March 9, 1823, and the last interment was of his daughter-in-law, Eliza Reed Mitchell, in 1899. This was the Mitchell family's private cemetery until 1996, when the City of Dublin assumed responsibility for its upkeep. A restoration was done during that summer by Eagle Scout Eli Keyser, of Dublin, and other scouts and volunteers. They did a major clean up of the cemetery and surrounding area, took gravestone rubbings and recorded the information on monuments, and made a detailed map of the cemetery. A wrought iron fence was erected surrounding the cemetery in the winter of 1999.

Layout of Cemetery

The graves are mostly arranged in rows in the square lot of the cemetery.

D. Sandy Corners

Location:

Southeast corner of Avery and Rings roads, next to St. John's Lutheran Church.

Date Established:

Earliest stone is dated 1845.

Number of Interments:

65

Condition:

Good

Available for Burials?

No

History

Susan Andren, who died November 28, 1845, was the first interment made in Sandy Corners. The last burial to be made there was of James Pendleton, who died June 26, 1879. There is very little other information about this cemetery.

Layout of Cemetery

Most of the stones are laid out in rows. The decorative iron work on the fence surrounding the cemetery was taken from the old Hayden Run Bridge.

E. Mount Zion

Location:

On Kinross Court, northeast of Memorial Drive, in Muirfield Village.

Date Established:

Earliest stone is dated 1850.

Number of Interments:

30

Condition:

Good, but many stones are missing.

Available for Burials?

No

History

The Mount Zion Cemetery, also known as Old Myzine and the United Brethren Church Cemetery, is located on what used to be Ashbaugh Road, next to the original location of the United Brethren Church. The church was razed in 1915, and the foundation can still be seen in the grass of the lot next to the cemetery. Carolene Tuller tells of an accident on February 17, 1863, when "several men were blown up into the trees by the explosion of a saw mill." Four of these men are buried in this cemetery.

Layout of Cemetery

Very little is known about the layout of this cemetery. It has been said that, in addition to the graves within the cemetery proper, there were some burials in what is now a wooded area nearby, marked only with round stones. Unfortunately, there are no maps in existence, and very few records of the burials which were made here.