The North Graveyard was one of Columbus’ first cemeteries, second only to Franklinton Cemetery. Although it closed before the Civil War, its unusual history continues to have an impact into the present.
**Last Updated: 6/7/2023- added more dates.
Location
Roughly bounded by North High Street, Spruce Street, Park Street and the railroad tracks.
Years in Use
1813-1864
Closure
1872
Grave Relocation
1872-Present
Timeline of Events
The timeline includes general history, reports, mentions in media and more.
July 2, 1813
Land is donated for the graveyard in July. However, the first burial may have taken place as early as 1812. At the time, the site was well outside of Downtown and considered “wild”. The plot of land measures roughly 330 feet north and south, and 198 feet east and west, on what is now the southeast corner of Park and Spruce streets.
May 8, 1820
The Columbus Borough Council instructs the mayor to obtain a proper deed for the cemetery site, which had not been done since the cemetery began use.
June 6, 1821
John Kerr, owner of the deed, passes the site to the City for $1.
1823
A formal route to the cemetery from the city is created with the construction of the first iteration of what would become Park Street.
October 18, 1824
Borough Council formalizes the use and operation of the cemetery with the appointment of a sexton. The sexton’s duties include digging graves, maintaining the grounds and collecting burial fees. Burial fees are set at $1.50 per adult and $1 per child. A John Jones is appointed as the first sexton.
February 26, 1830
7 acres are formally purchased to expand the cemetery east to High Street. The cost of the land is $400.
April 16, 1838
At a meeting of City Council, Council President Robert W. McCoy reports that the condition at North Graveyard- of which he is also superintendent- is approaching capacity. His report states, “Nearly all the lots in the Grave yard have been disposed of- some are not yet paid for but the collection will be made shortly.” Council appoints a committee to purchase more land to enlarge the graveyard, and to search for a new graveyard location.
February 11, 1839
City Council minutes tell of “reports of the graves in the old Grave yard having been frequently opened and the bodies stolen lately”. A night watchman is appointed to stop the desecrations.
1845
The cemetery gets its last expansion, known as the Brickell Addition. The size of the graveyard reaches just under 9 acres in size.
1856
The City makes it a penal offense to bury in the cemetery due to overcrowding. However, the law is not heavily enforced and burials continue.
1861-1862
The city’s Annual Report lists $35.50 in expenses in “aid for making Gate and painting same and posts at North Graveyard”. The $35.50 includes $10 for labor.
1864
Due to the 1856 law being ineffectual, a new law is passed that completely bans all burials on site.
1867-1868
The city’s Annual Report includes a list of “Disbursements” which includes this section.
1869
About half of the known graves have been moved to Green Lawn Cemetery over the previous 20 years.
December 13, 1871
Early 1872
Forced removal and relocation of graves to Green Lawn Cemetery begins. The activity draws large crowds of spectators as the bodies are dug up and coffins opened to examine the remains. Though many bodies had been buried for many years, the remains are said to be “well preserved”.
The first body to be removed and moved to Green Lawn is Cyrus Sells, a former Ohio Penitentiary guard who had been murdered by a prisoner.
April 24, 1872
The Columbus Dispatch pens an opinion in which it calls for the complete relocation of the cemetery to Green Lawn, a part of which is already in progress due to city condemnation to expand railroad lines across from the Union Depot. The article mentions that $14,000 has been allocated for grave removal in the condemned section.
1878-1879
The city’s Annual Report includes this section.
October 2, 1882
The city passes an ordinance for work to widen Spruce Street between Park and High on the north edge of the cemetery. Prior to this, this section of Spruce was just a narrow, single-lane carriage alley.
May 7, 2001
During excavation for a sewer easement under Spruce and Wall streets, human remains are discovered. Over the next few days, more remains are discovered and an archeological team is called in for data collection and remains recovery. In total, 43 graves are unearthed. The remains are later reinterred at Green Lawn Cemetery.
