Green Lawn Cemetery
“To the solemn graves, near a lonely cemetery, my heart like a muffled drum is beating funeral marches.” – Charles Baudelaire
Green Lawn Cemetery
Green Lawn Cemetery is the second cemetery on our list. If you are an avid birder, you probably know that they are great places to watch birds. And Green Lawn Cemetery isn’t only for birding in Ohio, it is full of history.
The Cemetery
Green Lawn Cemetery is a beautiful privately owned historical cemetery. It is open to the public from 8:00 am to 1 hour prior to sunset. It is well-kept and easy to navigate with a map. Without a map you may have a difficult time making you way around.
The Huntington Chapel is adorned with genuine Tiffany stained-glass windows and mosaic work. The building was designed by Frank L. Packard who is also buried in the cemetery.
The monuments in the cemetery vary from average tombstones to massive obelisks and mausoleums. Many are decorated with intricate details. You could stay there all day and never be able to appreciate them all.
History
Green Lawn Cemetery is the second-largest cemetery in Ohio. It had its grand opening as a rural cemetery in July of 1849. It started with 80 acres and now has 360 acres. The first burial was July 7, 1849. It was a child named Leonora Perry. She was the daughter of Aaron F. Perry who was one of the first board members.
There are many notable figures buried in the cemetery. From Civil War Generals, baseball players, to an actor and actress.
A few of the notable figures are:
Dan Tipton – Member of Wyatt Earp’s Posse
Billy Southworth – National Baseball Hall of Famer
Eddie Rickenbacker – WW1 Flying Ace
Edward Orton Sr. – First President of Ohio State University
Simon Lazarus – Founder of Lazarus Department stores
Merie Earle – Actress, best known as Maude Gormley on The Waltons
Grant Mitchell – Actor in 127 films, such as Arsenic and Old Lace, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and The Grapes of Wrath
Charles Walcutt – Civil War General and Mayor of Columbus
To see many more notable figures click HERE.
Birding
Birding is taken seriously at Green Lawn Cemetery. There is a kiosk that has a map of the cemetery that shows the bird feeders and birding hotspots. There is also a list of birds that have been spotted.
We visited the Cemetery in late February. It was a nice sunny day, but being early in the year the birds weren't very active. However, the area is known for the resident Great Horned Owl.
Great Horned owls mate early in the year. And the local pair had at least one egg in their nest. Due to over-aggressive individuals, the cemetery had to section the nesting area off with caution tape. This was to keep people far enough away so that the owls would not get stressed out. Security cameras were also installed because people continue to cross the tape.
We spotted:
Our Thoughts
If you are not creeped out by cemeteries, this is a great one to visit. History abounds, and you can find yourself staying for hours. There are plenty of roads to walk. They wind through the massive memorial-park. Don’t be surprised by the number of people wandering around the cemetery. A lot of people visit the area to learn more about its rich history and to enjoy Ohio birding.
The area in which Green Lawn cemetery is located has a very high crime rate. When you visit the cemetery, make sure that you lock your car doors and don’t leave any valuables in plain sight. We would not recommend that you visit the cemetery by yourself. It is gated and is closed during the night. So this helps lower the crime rate in the actual cemetery.
What You Can Expect at Green Lawn Cemetery
Please note that park rules and regulations can change at any time. The following information was in effect for Green Lawn Cemetery as of February 2020.
There are no bathrooms.
It doesn’t state if bicycles are permitted. However, there was a historical bike tour in 2019.
Amazing place for birding in Ohio. Download the map here.
No bridges.
Concealed carry is not permitted.
Dogs are not permitted.
Some elevation changes.
Blacktop roads run throughout the cemetery. You can park anywhere along the roads, but you must stay to the extreme right. You cannot park within 200 ft. of an active funeral or an open grave.
We didn’t notice any seating.
The cemetery has sunny and shady areas.
Roads are marked, but they can be hard to navigate. We would recommend that you download a map.
The roads are paved and well kept.
There are trash cans located around the property.
There is a pond located in near the center of the property.
There are no official parking spaces located along the roads. There are marked parking areas at the office building. We didn’t notice any ADA spaces.
Special Features – Intricate sculptures, tombstones and monuments.
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