WOODLAND CEMETERY
118 Woodland Avenue
Dayton, OH 45409-2892
937.228.3221
Established: 1843
Acres: 200
Official Website
Bella Morte Rating: 5 Tombstones
Dayton's Woodlawn Cemetery and Arboretum, one of the Nation's oldest Garden cemeteries, is a place that true lovers of graveyards and graveyard art do not want to miss.
This hilly, mostly wooded haunt is filled with angels, urns, obelisks, mourning figures, private family mausoleums and some of the most scenic vistas we have encountered.
The cemetery is also home to Woodland Community Mausoleum. This outstanding edifice stands ready to greet you as you enter the front gates. It is a wonderful place to begin your explorations or to take some quiet time if you wish to retreat there at any point during your visit. And you may wish to do just that as taking in all the sites on the magnificent grounds will require considerable time.
Featuring twenty-two varieties of imported marble, twelve stained glass windows with themes inspired by famous literary works, a chapel area, crypt halls, columbariums, photographs from the cemetery grounds, and a glass-front cremation niche room with a gurgling fountain and glittering mosaic depiction of a triumphant figure on horseback, this mausoleum is a feast for the senses. Make sure not to miss the unique photograph of an angel (yes...we did say photograph) hanging above the columbarium in the mausoleum's west wing (the side near the front gates). The work of Cincinnati artist Gordon Baey, this ethereal beauty is sure to captivate (see her photo in our gallery).
Out on the grounds, make sure you don't miss Lookout Point, the highest location in the city of Dayton and a vantage point which offers an engaging view of the surrounding skyline. Look also for the memorial to former residents of the Dayton Widow's Home, which truly touched our hearts.
Woodland is home to a number of famous residents, however, the most visited grave does not belong to an individual you may have read about in the paper or seen on television. No, the distinction of most popular gravesite goes to a five year old boy named Johnny Morehouse...and his faithful canine companion, whose name has been lost to history.
Located quite near the cemetery entrance, the memorial to Johnny and his dog is surrounded by ground from which all trace of greenery has been eliminated due to the passage of countless feet as people come to pay their respects and leave little trinkets to keep Johnny amused in his other-worldly existence. (For another example of an oft-visited child memorial, see the notation on George A. Blount at Columbus, Ohio's Green Lawn Cemetery).
The son of John and Mory Morehouse, young Johnny enjoyed playing along the banks of the Miami & Erie Canal not far from his home in back of his father's shoe repair shop. As the story goes, Johnny slipped and fell into the canal one day and his dog immediately followed. Though the dog was able to pull his young master from the canal, he did not do so in time to save the child's life. It is said that the dog crouched beside Johnny's body and would not let anyone, including the authorities, near until he was leashed and literally dragged away. At this point, various accounts begin to tell the story differently, however, all seem to concur that the dog spent considerable time at the gravesite following Johnny's death. Ever faithful.
Johnny and his dog have been immortalized in stone, the child appearing to sleep peacefully beneath the protective stance of his companion. Beneath their images, Johnny's name, and the words "Slumber Sweet," are etched into the base of the monument.
You can easily find information on Woodland's other, more notable residents, including author and humourist Erma Bombeck (whose grave features a 29,000 pound boulder from Phoenix, Arizona...a tribute from her husband to the 25 years they spent together in Arizona), or the Wright Brothers, Wilbur and Orville, to name only a few. We encourage you to do so by taking one of Woodland's four tour offerings which, aside from the traditional "Walking Tour" and "Self-Guided Tour" include the unique "Discovery Hunt," a scavenger hunt type tour in which participants search for specific graves, trees, etc., or the "Two-Way Communication Tour" in which you remain in your car while following a guide in his/her vehicle who will point out places of interest via radio. Designed for visits during inclement weather or for those who are not ambulatory, this tour makes Woodland's history available to all.
While you're out investigating, please accept a Bella Morte challenge to locate what we have found to be the most intriguing stone in Woodland. This pyramid, resting on a black base, is sacred to the memory of one Marjorie V. Jones and contains a lengthy inscription in hieroglyphics surmounted by an Egyptian ankh and underscored by a scarab. The base of the stone is inscribed on three sides with the words “One Life” – “One Word” – “One Truth."
Our enquiries as to the interpretation of the hieroglyphic inscription roused the interest of a cemetery tour guide who had never seen the stone before. We are happy to announce that, following our enquiries, she has decided to include this fascinating memorial on her tours. Rather than asking for the location, though, why not search for it on your own?
To save you the struggle we encountered, we here include the translation of the stone's inscription. It reads:
Behold, I am with Osiris
and I proclaim what he announceth among the mighty ones.
He speaketh to me the words of men.
I listen and I repeat them to you.
Fascinating! It certainly makes us wish we knew more about this handmaiden to Osiris! If anyone knows more and is willing to share information, please contact us.
Enjoy your trip to Woodland, fellow taphophiles...and make sure to give Johnny Morehouse and his dog our regards!
{G}
118 Woodland Avenue
Dayton, OH 45409-2892
937.228.3221
Established: 1843
Acres: 200
Official Website
Bella Morte Rating: 5 Tombstones
Dayton's Woodlawn Cemetery and Arboretum, one of the Nation's oldest Garden cemeteries, is a place that true lovers of graveyards and graveyard art do not want to miss.
This hilly, mostly wooded haunt is filled with angels, urns, obelisks, mourning figures, private family mausoleums and some of the most scenic vistas we have encountered.
The cemetery is also home to Woodland Community Mausoleum. This outstanding edifice stands ready to greet you as you enter the front gates. It is a wonderful place to begin your explorations or to take some quiet time if you wish to retreat there at any point during your visit. And you may wish to do just that as taking in all the sites on the magnificent grounds will require considerable time.
Featuring twenty-two varieties of imported marble, twelve stained glass windows with themes inspired by famous literary works, a chapel area, crypt halls, columbariums, photographs from the cemetery grounds, and a glass-front cremation niche room with a gurgling fountain and glittering mosaic depiction of a triumphant figure on horseback, this mausoleum is a feast for the senses. Make sure not to miss the unique photograph of an angel (yes...we did say photograph) hanging above the columbarium in the mausoleum's west wing (the side near the front gates). The work of Cincinnati artist Gordon Baey, this ethereal beauty is sure to captivate (see her photo in our gallery).
Out on the grounds, make sure you don't miss Lookout Point, the highest location in the city of Dayton and a vantage point which offers an engaging view of the surrounding skyline. Look also for the memorial to former residents of the Dayton Widow's Home, which truly touched our hearts.
Woodland is home to a number of famous residents, however, the most visited grave does not belong to an individual you may have read about in the paper or seen on television. No, the distinction of most popular gravesite goes to a five year old boy named Johnny Morehouse...and his faithful canine companion, whose name has been lost to history.
Located quite near the cemetery entrance, the memorial to Johnny and his dog is surrounded by ground from which all trace of greenery has been eliminated due to the passage of countless feet as people come to pay their respects and leave little trinkets to keep Johnny amused in his other-worldly existence. (For another example of an oft-visited child memorial, see the notation on George A. Blount at Columbus, Ohio's Green Lawn Cemetery).
The son of John and Mory Morehouse, young Johnny enjoyed playing along the banks of the Miami & Erie Canal not far from his home in back of his father's shoe repair shop. As the story goes, Johnny slipped and fell into the canal one day and his dog immediately followed. Though the dog was able to pull his young master from the canal, he did not do so in time to save the child's life. It is said that the dog crouched beside Johnny's body and would not let anyone, including the authorities, near until he was leashed and literally dragged away. At this point, various accounts begin to tell the story differently, however, all seem to concur that the dog spent considerable time at the gravesite following Johnny's death. Ever faithful.
Johnny and his dog have been immortalized in stone, the child appearing to sleep peacefully beneath the protective stance of his companion. Beneath their images, Johnny's name, and the words "Slumber Sweet," are etched into the base of the monument.
You can easily find information on Woodland's other, more notable residents, including author and humourist Erma Bombeck (whose grave features a 29,000 pound boulder from Phoenix, Arizona...a tribute from her husband to the 25 years they spent together in Arizona), or the Wright Brothers, Wilbur and Orville, to name only a few. We encourage you to do so by taking one of Woodland's four tour offerings which, aside from the traditional "Walking Tour" and "Self-Guided Tour" include the unique "Discovery Hunt," a scavenger hunt type tour in which participants search for specific graves, trees, etc., or the "Two-Way Communication Tour" in which you remain in your car while following a guide in his/her vehicle who will point out places of interest via radio. Designed for visits during inclement weather or for those who are not ambulatory, this tour makes Woodland's history available to all.
While you're out investigating, please accept a Bella Morte challenge to locate what we have found to be the most intriguing stone in Woodland. This pyramid, resting on a black base, is sacred to the memory of one Marjorie V. Jones and contains a lengthy inscription in hieroglyphics surmounted by an Egyptian ankh and underscored by a scarab. The base of the stone is inscribed on three sides with the words “One Life” – “One Word” – “One Truth."
Our enquiries as to the interpretation of the hieroglyphic inscription roused the interest of a cemetery tour guide who had never seen the stone before. We are happy to announce that, following our enquiries, she has decided to include this fascinating memorial on her tours. Rather than asking for the location, though, why not search for it on your own?
To save you the struggle we encountered, we here include the translation of the stone's inscription. It reads:
Behold, I am with Osiris
and I proclaim what he announceth among the mighty ones.
He speaketh to me the words of men.
I listen and I repeat them to you.
Fascinating! It certainly makes us wish we knew more about this handmaiden to Osiris! If anyone knows more and is willing to share information, please contact us.
Enjoy your trip to Woodland, fellow taphophiles...and make sure to give Johnny Morehouse and his dog our regards!
{G}