Glendale Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2001.

History

Glendale Cemetery was founded in 1839 by Dr. J.D. Commons. Here statues of prominent citizens, an avenue of stately mausoleums and a collection of headstones tell the story of Akron's past. Originally known as Akron Rural Cemetery, Commons modeled the design of the cemetery after Boston's

Mount Auburn Cemetery Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural cemetery, rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middl ...

, which he visited in 1838. Glendale is a picturesque romantic landscape with its curving roads, use of promontories to create vistas and a variety of architectural styles that draw upon ancient building forms. Mausoleums are modeled after Egyptian, Greek and Roman temples or Gothic churches. Nineteenth-century accounts described Glendale as “beautifully laid out in romantic drives and walks” and note its role as an area park and tourist destination. Originally, the cemetery had a stream and two bodies of water—Willow and Swan Lakes. Due to the increased development surrounding the cemetery during the late 19th century, the natural spring that fed the lakes dried up. The superintendent of the cemetery at that time proposed running a pipe to the

Ohio and Erie Canal The Ohio and Erie Canal was a canal constructed during the 1820s and early 1830s in Ohio. It connected Akron with the Cuyahoga River near its outlet on Lake Erie in Cleveland, and a few years later, with the Ohio River near Portsmouth. It also ...

to re-water the lakes, but this was never realized. Today the open space or Great Meadow recalls the scale of Swan Lake and several mausoleums have small foot bridges that once crossed over the stream fronting them. Distinct sections of the cemetery are devoted to the Masons, Akron's Jewish community and infants and children. The Civil War is prominently commemorated in Glendale Cemetery. The Buckley Post of the Union Army has a large memorial marker surrounded by 50 headstones located on the northern plateau. The 1876

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style Memorial Chapel was constructed by the Buckley Post and has been recently restored.

Akron Rural Cemetery Buildings

The cemetery holds the Akron Rural Cemetery Buildings, a registered historic site, listed in the National Register on 1980-09-27. They are credited to prominent Akron architect

Frank O. Weary Frank Orlando Weary (1849 – 1921) was an architect based in Akron, Ohio.American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

monument and was erected by Buckley Post #12

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

. * The Bell Tower, built in 1883 * The Caretakers Lodge, built in 1869 * The Office, built in 1903

Notable interments

Ohio Columbus Barber Ohio Columbus Barber (April 20, 1841 – February 4, 1920) was an American businessman, industrialist and philanthropist. He was called "America's Match King" because of his controlling interest in the Diamond Match Company, which had 85 percent ...

(1841–1920), industrialist and philanthropist; founder of the Barber Match Company and Barberton, Ohio * Ellsworth Bathrick (1863–1917), US Congressman * John Buchtel (1820–1892), businessman and founder of Buchtel College, the predecessor of the University of Akron * George Washington Crouse (1832–1912), US Congressman * Charles W.F. Dick (1858–1945), US Senator *

Charles S. Howe Charles Sumner Howe (September 29, 1858 – April 18, 1939) was the second president of Case School of Applied Science, now Case Western Reserve University. Howe was born on September 29, 1858 in Nashua, New Hampshire. He earned his B.S. at ...

(1858–1939), 2nd President of Case School of Applied Science (present-day

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...

) * Lewis Miller.(1829–1899), philanthropist and inventor *

Julia Perry Julia Amanda Perry (25 March 1924 – 24 April 1979) was an American classical composer and teacher who combined European classical and neo-classical training with her African-American heritage. Life and education Born in Lexington, Kentucky, ...

(1927–1979), composer, conductor, and educator *

George Edmond Pierce Rev. George Edmond Pierce (September 9, 1794 – May 27, 1871) was an American minister and the second President of Western Reserve College, now Case Western Reserve University. Pierce was born in Southbury, Conn, September 9, 1794. His fat ...

(1794–1871), 2nd President of Western Reserve College (present-day Case Western Reserve University) * Frank Seiberling (1859–1955), early 20th century industrialist; founder of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and the Seiberling Rubber Company. *

John F. Seiberling John Frederick Seiberling, Jr. (September 8, 1918 – August 2, 2008) was a United States representative from Ohio. In 1974, he helped to establish what later became the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and served on the House Judiciary Committee ...

(1918–2008), US Congressman and grandson of Goodyear founder F.A. Seiberling * William Hanford Upson (1823–1910), 19th century politician, lawyer, and judge

References

External links

*
National Register nomination form
* {{National Register of Historic Places in Ohio 1839 establishments in Ohio Buildings and structures in Akron, Ohio Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Tourist attractions in Akron, Ohio Protected areas of Summit County, Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Summit County, Ohio Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Cemeteries in Summit County, Ohio Rural cemeteries