Union Cemetery (Columbus) Explained

Union Cemetery
Established:1847
Location:Columbus, Ohio
Country:United States
Coordinates:40.0203°N -83.0225°W
Owner:Union Cemetery Association
Interments:>66,000
Website:https://www.unioncemeterycolumbus.com
Findagraveid:43840

Union Cemetery is a historic cemetery on Olentangy River Road near Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Owing to its location near the Ohio State University, it has been the chosen resting place for numerous Buckeye luminaries and Columbus politicians.

History

Balser Hess, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War, established a farm on the site in the early 19th century. Hess is thought to be the first burial there, in 1806. It was established as a public cemetery in 1847.[1]

The cemetery lies just east of State Route 315, and is responsible for that highway's infamous "hospital curve." The Ohio Department of Transportation had sought for years to seize cemetery land for the road, but the Supreme Court of Ohio sided with the cemetery. Eventually a compromise was reached resulting in a short east–west leg of the route running between the cemetery to the south and Riverside Hospital to the north.[2]

Notable burials

Notable individuals buried at the cemetery include:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Historical society plans walking tour . This Week Community News . 28 September 2020.
  2. Web site: Columbus Mileposts – May 23, 1975: Cemetery almost dead end for Rt. 315 . Columbus Dispatch . 28 September 2020.
  3. Web site: Notable Burials . Union Cemetery . 2 March 2019.