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- Old St. Mary Cemetery
- In 1801, the Springdale Presbyterian Church acquired 2 ½ acres of
property along State Route 4 at the south end of the City of Springdale
(formally the Town of Springfield.) to construct a church and
cemetery. Although the church
moved to a new location in town in 1833, the cemetery remained at the
original location and continued to receive regular internments until the
mid 1950's.
- For nearly 190 years, the property was owned and maintained by the
Springdale Presbyterian Church.
In later years the property fell into neglect and the church not
having the means or personnel to maintain the property transferred
ownership to the City of Springdale in 1987.
- After acquiring the property in 1987, the City immediately began a long
restoration process. One of the
first steps were to find the property lines of the cemetery by removing
large amounts of dead and overgrown vegetation and in turn uncovering
many forgotten graves. Once the
cemetery was cleared, hundreds of loads of topsoil were brought in to
help level the turf area. In
1989, the city received a $31,460 Community Development grant and that
along with $12,000 dollars from the city's general fund purchased and
installed a new iron fence around the entire cemetery.
- One by one, the Public Works Department personnel repaired and reset
each of the gravestones. At times
organizations such as the Boy Scouts and Eagle Scouts have assisted in
the restoration process.
- The Old St. Mary cemetery is a proud part of not only the City of
Springdale history, but also the history of the State of Ohio and Miami
Valley. Although the cemetery is
small in comparison it is the final resting place for (9) Revolutionary
War veterans, (12) Civil War veterans, and (1) World War I veteran.
- The restoration and preservation of the Old St. Mary cemetery by the
City of Springdale stands as example of a community's dedication and
commitment to preserving its history.
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Notes
