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. He created a more open landscape by setting limits on private enclosures and monument heights.[7] The results of the redesign earned Strauch praise in the U.S. and abroad,[8] including from Frederick Law Olmsted and the French landscape architect Edouard André.[9] On March 29, 2007, the cemetery was designated a National Historic Landmark.[10] The Spring Grove Cemetery Chapel is listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places.
On October 23, 2013, cemetery staff removed a large and potentially disturbing SpongeBob SquarePants headstone from the grave of U.S. Army Corporal Kimberly Walker and another for her still-living sister a day after her funeral. The family believed they had permission from a worker, who management said had erred.[11] In February 2014, both parties agreed to reinstate the statues with granite slabs largely hiding them from passersby.[12]
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,[13] many fine tombstones and memorials, and various examples of Gothic Revival architecture.
George Benson Fox, Civil War Major 75th Ohio Infantry, manufacturer, Ohio General AssemblyA swan off the shore of Geyser Lake, one of the small bodies of water located within the cemetery.
^Stuckey, Ronald L. (1997). "Emma Lucy Braun (1889–1971)". In Grinstein, Louise S.; Biermann, Carol A.; Rose, Rose K. (eds.). Women in the Biological Sciences: A Biobibliographic Sourcebook. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 46. ISBN0-313-29180-2.
