My mother and grandmother used to drag us around from cemetery to cemetery looking for the tombstones of long lost relatives.
Perhaps that’s why, I’m not totally wigged out in a cemetery. In fact, I find cemeteries rather …err … peaceful.
Spring Grove Cemetery is located in the mid-section of Cincinnati and is the final resting place for many loved ones including 19th-century cholera victims and Civil War generals, as well as notable burials.
Spring Grove Cemetery began with a recurrence of the cholera epidemic and concerns over proper internment facilities. Members of the Cincinnati Horticultural Society created a cemetery association with the goal of finding a suitable location to create a parklike setting to bury the dead.
The planners researched and visited renowned cemeteries throughout the United States and Europe. Spring Grove Cemetery’s impeccable landscape speaks to the amount of thoughtful consideration that went into designing the grounds.
In 1845, the original 220 acres of Cemetery of Spring Grove was dedicated. The name officially changed in 1987 to the Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum. The grounds contain an enormous collection of native and exotic plants
Spring Grove Cemetery was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2007, joining four other cemeteries in the nation that hold this distinction. Today, the cemetery covers 733 acres, of which 400 are landscaped and maintained.
There are several trails which are basically pre-determined pathways using the same roadways as the cars.
On a trip to Spring Grove, I diverted from my usual path and went on a search for unique sculptures.
I was not disappointed. Here are some photos of the amazing art you can find at Spring Grove.
As always be respectful of the grounds but take time to appreciate the work and love that went into these memorials to lost loved ones.
Click on any of the images to see a large photo.
