Cemeteries are important
symbols of honor and tradition
in every Ohio community.
They are in need of our help.
Unfortunately, many cemeteries where Ohio’s ancestors and war veterans rest were filled long before legislators enacted laws in 1970 requiring trusts be established for the perpetual care of active cemeteries.
In other cases, churches or families that created and maintained cemeteries dissolved or moved away. Or trust funds barely adequate when set up withered under rapidly rising costs of succeeding generations. Even for active cemeteries, only interest or dividends from the trusts may be used for perpetual care. That is often not enough to meet expenses. It has left many cemeteries in Ohio, both active and inactive, with inadequate resources for their preservation. Worse yet, some cemeteries have become abandoned.
Without proper care, natural forces begin taking their toll. Wind and rain erode irreplaceable headstones, statuary, iron fences, and buildings. Seasonal temperature changes, water and ice, and uncontrolled vegetation fracture roads and walkways. Unnatural forces, including development, ignorance and vandalism, take their toll as well. The result is that once serene and stately places of honor become overgrown symbols of neglect and abuse.
Even well-meant volunteer efforts to clean up a cemetery can end up causing more damage if not carefully planned and skillfully carried out. Private philanthropy and professional help are almost always essential.
Funding must be sought not only for restoration, but also for conservation. Professional help may include historic preservation consultants, archeologists, horticulturalists, structural engineers, surveyors, and restoration artisans. Restoration often requires rebuilding roads, walls, roofs, and walkways.
Properly restoring, renovating, and conserving a cemetery is not a small task. In fact, it is challenging and complex. But it is worth the investment. Regardless of a cemetery’s size or age, each stands as an important symbol of honor and tradition within the community where it is located.
As Ohioans, preserving and protecting these sacred places for future generations is our privilege and our duty. The charter of the Ohio Cemetery Foundation is to ensure that this happens in perpetuity across the great state of Ohio.