cemetery
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...
located at 1678 SOM Center Road in
Mayfield Heights, Ohio
Mayfield Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and is an east-side suburb of Cleveland. The population was 18,827 at the 2010 census.
History
Mayfield Heights was initially built up as a streetcar suburb of Cleveland. It was ...
. Established in 1908, it is one of the largest cemeteries in
Cuyahoga County
Cuyahoga County ( or ) is a large urban County (United States), county located in the Northeast Ohio, northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the Canada–United States border, U.S.- ...
. A mausoleum was completed in 1926, and an expansion finished in 1959. The cemetery's mausoleum, the largest in the state, boasts a number of windows by Tiffany & Co.
Creating the cemetery
Knollwood Cemetery was incorporated on September 9, 1908, by C.F. Heinig, Francis P. Newcome, and H.L. Ebbert. A five-member board of directors was established, and Benjamin Ottman elected its first president. A few weeks after its incorporation, the cemetery purchased of land from the Pennington-Quilling Co. for $40,000 ($ in dollars). The land had previously been the farm of Robert Lowe. In June 1909, the cemetery purchased another of land for $100 ($ in dollars) from James Watters, and of land from J.W. Thorman for $100. Another were acquired from other sources.
Ground was broken on the new cemetery on June 26, 1909. Paul Heinze, an architect from
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, who had designed several cemeteries in the
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
, laid out Knollwood as a "park" cemetery. Twenty work crews began preparing burial vaults, grading roads, and landscaping of the site in preparation for a July 15 dedication. Work included the creation of a man-made lake. The cemetery's roads were paved with
macadam
Macadam is a type of road construction, pioneered by Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam around 1820, in which crushed stone is placed in shallow, convex layers and compacted thoroughly. A binding layer of stone dust (crushed stone from the o ...
, while the county began work on grading and laying
asphalt
Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...
on Mayfield Road to upgrade it in time for the burial ground's opening. Other work at the site included the emplacement of
stormwater
Stormwater, also spelled storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed la ...
sewers about belowground, and the construction of a front entrance consisting of
wrought iron
Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...
gates supported by several
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
pillars. A.T. Russell sold of land to Knollwood in September 1909.
The first interments at Knollwood were about 300 bodies removed from the old
Erie Street Cemetery
Erie Street Cemetery is a historic cemetery in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It is the city's oldest existing cemetery.
History
The cemetery was established in 1826 at what was then the edge of the city, taking its name from East 9th Street's origin ...
in downtown Cleveland. Hiram Brott became the first contemporary person to be interred at Knollwood when he was buried there on April 27, 1910. Interments were relatively few in number until 1912. Demand for burial space was strong enough that by 1916 of the cemetery had been cleared, landscaped, and plots laid out. Fully of this acreage was near the entrance of the cemetery, and consisted of a park-like garden cemetery. The remaining were more like a lawn cemetery. Another of the property had been cleared of underbrush and sodded, while remained heavily forested. The cemetery association also sold about of land, and spent $25,000 ($ in dollars) constructing a caretaker's residence (which included a small chapel) and maintenance buildings.
By the mid 1920s, Knollwood Cemetery was effectively a large land-holding company. In 1925, Knollwood sought to become a
nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
. Under Ohio law, this meant the cemetery had to divest itself of most of its investments, which meant selling off land. This included the sale of of land to the new Acacia Park Cemetery, adjacent to Knollwood.
By the end of 1927, Knollwood Cemetery held more than 2,300 remains.
Mausoleum
In 1923, Knollwood Cemetery announced it had hired noted funerary architect Sidney Lovell to design a large, above-ground
mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
for the cemetery. Plans called for the structure to be a mixture of
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 ...
and
Egyptian Revival
Egyptian Revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and Admiral Nelson's defeat ...
, and for it to include two chapels and about 50 "private rooms" off the main corridor. It was completed about 1926.
To decorate the mausoleum, the cemetery commissioned a number of large
stained glass
Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...
windows from Tiffany & Co., most of which were vaguely secular in nature. Other Tiffany windows were commissioned by individuals who owned crypts in the mausoleum. All of the windows were finished in the late 1920s and early 1930s, toward the end of
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art NouveauL ...
life, making it unclear how much work Tiffany himself put into their design. As of 2006, there were 17 windows in the mausoleum attributed to Tiffany.
In 1928, Knollwood Cemetery officials determined the mausoleum should be expanded.
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...
, purchased Knollwood Cemetery. Knollwood Cemetery was sold to Gibraltar Mausoleum Corp. in 1994, and in June 1995 Gibraltar was purchased by
Service Corporation International
Service Corporation International is an American provider of funeral goods and services as well as cemetery property and services. It is headquartered in Neartown, Houston, Texas, and operates secondary corporate offices in Jefferson (New Orle ...
.
Knollwood was sued over the mishandling of remains in 1983. In 1929, Katherine G. Mallison was buried in a family plot at Knollwood. Her granddaughter, Dorothy Mallison Carney, died in 1982. While digging the Carney grave, cemetery workers discovered that it was already occupied by a wooden burial vault containing Mallison's coffin. Cemetery workers used a
backhoe
A backhoe—also called rear actor or back actor—is a type of excavating equipment, or digger, consisting of a digging bucket on the end of a two-part articulated arm. It is typically mounted on the back of a tractor or front loader, the latt ...
to remove Mallison's burial vault and remains, which they dumped at a refuse site on the cemetery grounds. Carney's burial occurred a few hours later. In March 1983, a Cleveland television station broadcast news about the mishandling of remains at the cemetery. After an investigation revealed the remains were Mallinson's, Carney's children sued the cemetery and were awarded $56,000. Knollwood Cemetery appealed, but the Ohio Eighth District Courts of Appeals upheld the verdict in 1986.
In 1988, Knollwood Cemetery workers buried Ruth Pistillo in the wrong grave. The family discovered the error only when no headstone was placed on the grave Pistillo had purchased. Even after the error was discovered, Knollwood remained unsure as to who was buried in the wrong grave. Pistillo had to be disinterred and one of her family members had to identify the body. Her heirs received $101,000 in damages.
In 2002, Knollwood Cemetery sought permission from the city of Mayfield Heights to permit the drilling and operation of a
natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
well on its property by Bass Energy. Knollwood said the proposed wells would be in an area about from any graves, an area which would not be used for burials for at least 25 to 30 years. Knollwood said the wells would provide it with free natural gas for heating of its mausoleum and other buildings, and would give the cemetery much-needed revenue of about $50,000 a year for 10 years to help meet its $350,000-a-year operating costs. The city denied the permit. The conflict led to the introduction of legislation in the
Ohio Legislature
The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate. Both houses of the General Assembly meet at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus ...
to strip localities and counties of their authority to regulate oil and gas wells. This law passed in September 2004. Subsequently, three natural gas wells were drilled and began operation on the Knollwood property. The new law was challenged in court. As the lawsuit progressed, a
Court of Common Pleas
A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...
allowed production to continue at existing wells at the Knollwood Cemetery. The
Ohio Supreme Court
The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...
upheld the new state law in February 2015.
In 2008, the Vitale family sued Knollwood cemetery for placing a natural gas well too close to their mausoleum on the cemetery's grounds. The family also accused Knollwood (which had erected the mausoleum) of constructing such a poorly-built structure that family members had to be disinterred and the mausoleum rebuilt. The case was dismissed with prejudice in May 2010.
Knollwood Cemetery had about 47,000 burials in 2007, and between and in 2008. Its mausoleum remained the largest in the state as of 2012.
Notable interments
A number of famous individuals are buried at Knollwood Cemetery. They include:
* Frederick Henry Herbert Adler (1885-1959), poet.
* Albert R. Bahr (1868-1939), founder, A.H. Bahr Lumber Co.
*
Ernest Barnard
Ernest Sargent Barnard (July 17, 1874 – March 27, 1931) was the third President of the American League, serving from 1927 until his death in 1931. Born in West Columbia, West Virginia, he later resided in Delaware, Ohio. He graduated from Otter ...
(1874-1931), president of the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
team from 1922 to 1927.
* Francis H. Beam (1900-1965), chairman of the board, National City Bank of Cleveland.
*
George H. Bender
George Harrison Bender (September 29, 1896June 18, 1961) was an American Republican politician from Ohio. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1939 to 1949 and 1951 to 1954. He also served in the U.S. Senate from 1954 to ...
(1896-1961),
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
who served in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
from 1939 to 1947 and again from 1951 to 1954, and in the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
from 1954 to 1957.
* Howard Simmons Booth (1891-1952), professor of chemistry at
Western Reserve University
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
first baseman
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
for the Cleveland Indians from 1941 to 1942 and from 1946 to 1952.
*
Alwin C. Ernst
Alwin C. Ernst, also known as Alvin C. Ernst and A. C. Ernst ( CPA) (July 26, 1881 – May 13, 1948), was an American businessman who co-founded the accounting firm of Ernst & Ernst, in 1903, and who is credited with devising management consultin ...
(1881-1948), co-founder,
Ernst & Ernst
Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewaterh ...
.
*
Billy Evans
William George Evans (February 10, 1884 – January 23, 1956), nicknamed "The Boy Umpire", was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1906 to 1927. He became, at age 22, the youngest umpire in majo ...
(1884-1956), Major League Baseball umpire;
general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
, Cleveland Indians and
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
; president,
Southern Association
The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cl ...
league; and
National Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
Sonny Geraci
Emmett Peter "Sonny" Geraci ("Jer-ah-see"); November 22, 1946 – February 5, 2017) was an American singer, best known as lead singer of musical groups The Outsiders and Climax.
Biography
Geraci first became known as the original lead vocal ...
(1947-2017), lead singer of the rock music groups The Outsiders and
Climax
Climax may refer to:
Language arts
* Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work
* Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance
Biology
* Climax community, a biological community th ...
Pete Johns
William R. "Pete" Johns (January 17, 1888 – August 9, 1964) was an infielder in Major League Baseball. He played for the Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox co ...
(1888-1964),
infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.
Standard arrangement of positions
In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...
for the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
and from
St. Louis Browns
The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...
.
* Harvey Bryant Jordan (1895-1965), vice president of American Wire & Steel Co.
*
Edwin Arthur Kraft
Edwin Arthur Kraft (January 8, 1883 - July 15, 1962) was an American organist and choir-director.
Biography
Kraft was born in New Haven, Connecticut on January 8, 1883. At age 15 he became organist at New Haven's Grace Methodist Church, and soon a ...
(1883-1962), organist.
* George Miller (1898-1966), co-founder, Miller Drug Stores; president, Strong Cobb Arner pharmaceutical manufacturer; president, Distillata Co.
*
Mike Murphy
Michael James Murphy (born 20 October 1941) is an Irish broadcaster, actor and property developer. He is best known for his long broadcasting career with RTÉ, presenting many TV shows such as ''The Live Mike'', '' Winning Streak'' and '' The Bi ...
(1946-2006), drummer for the bands
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees
were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...
,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, and
The Manhattan Transfer
The Manhattan Transfer is a Grammy award–winning vocal group founded in 1969 that has explored a cappella, vocalese, swing, standards, Brazilian jazz, rhythm and blues, and pop music.
There have been two editions of the Manhattan Transfer, ...
.
* Newbell Niles Puckett (1897-1967), folklorist and professor of sociology, Western Reserve University.
* Thomas E. Orr (1891-1952), engineer and president, Keystone Plastics Company and Plastray Ltd.
* Mary Alice "Mell" Beistle Rothko (1922-1970), estranged wife of artist
Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko (), born Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz (russian: Ма́ркус Я́ковлевич Ротко́вич, link=no, lv, Markuss Rotkovičs, link=no; name not Anglicized until 1940; September 25, 1903 – February 25, 1970), was a Latv ...
.
* Ellis Ryan (1904-1966), owner of the Cleveland Indians from 1949 to 1952.
*
Suzanne Schnitzer
Suzanne may refer to:
People
* Suzanne (given name), a feminine given name (including a list of people with the name)
* S. U. Zanne, pen name of August Vandekerkhove (1838–1923), Belgian writer and inventor
* Suzanne, pen name of Renée Mén ...
(1941-1984) Gates Mills resident from a prominent Gates Mills family, nurse, and patron of the arts.
*
Jimmy Scott
James Victor Scott (July 17, 1925 – June 12, 2014), known professionally as Little Jimmy Scott or Jimmy Scott, was an American jazz vocalist known for his high natural contralto voice and his sensitivity on ballads and love songs.
After ...
(1925-2014), jazz vocalist.
* Marilyn Reese Sheppard (1923-1954), murder victim and wife of Sam Sheppard. The fetus of her four-month-old unborn son was buried with her in 1955.
*
Sam Sheppard
Samuel Holmes Sheppard, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, D.O. ( – ) was an American Neurosurgery, neurosurgeon. He was exonerated in 1966, having been convicted of the 1954 murder of his pregnant wife, Marilyn Reese Sheppard. The case was con ...
(1923-1970), physician, husband of Marilyn Sheppard, and accused murderer. Originally buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens in
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
, his remains were disinterred and cremated before being placed in his wife's crypt in 1997.
*
Thomas Sinito
Thomas James Sinito, also known as "The Chinaman" (September 18, 1938 − December 21, 1997), was a powerful Caporegime in the Cleveland crime family who was once accused of plotting the assassination of then mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, Dennis J. ...
(1938-1997),
caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to capo or informally referred to as "captain" or "skipper", is a rank used in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia) for a ''made member'' of an Italian crime family who head ...
in the
Cleveland crime family
The Cleveland crime family or Cleveland Mafia is the collective name given to a succession of Italian-American organized crime gangs based in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. A part of the Italian-American Mafia (or ''Cosa Nostra'') phenom ...
.
*
Antanas Smetona
Antanas Smetona (; 10 August 1874 – 9 January 1944) was a Lithuanian intellectual and journalist and the first President of Lithuania from 1919 to 1920 and again from 1926 to 1940, before its occupation by the Soviet Union. He was one of the m ...
(1874-1944),
President of Lithuania
The President of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Prezidentas) is the head of state of Lithuania. The officeholder has been Gitanas Nausėda since 12 July 2019.
Powers
The president has somewhat more executive authority tha ...
from 1919 to 1920 and from 1926 to 1940. (His remains were moved to All Souls Cemetery in
Chardon, Ohio
Chardon is a city in and the county seat of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,242 at the 2020 census.Feargus B. Squire (1850-1932),
Standard Oil
Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...
executive.
* Floyd St. Clair (1871-1942), composer with the Sam Fox Publishing Co.
* Jack R. Staples (1911-1990), investment banker and partner in Cascade Industries.
* Gordon A. Stouffer (1905-1956), restaurateur, heir to
Stouffer's
Stouffer's is a brand of frozen prepared foods currently owned by Nestlé. Its products are available in the United States and Canada. Stouffer's is known for such popular fare as lasagna, macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, ravioli, and salisbury ste ...
fortune.
* Terry Turner (1881-1960), infielder for the Cleveland Indians.
* Edith Anisfield Wolf (1889-1963), poet and philanthropist.
* D. Carl Yoder (1869-1963), Methodist minister and founder, World Religious News (a news service).
* Charles X. Zimmerman (1865-1926),
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
in the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...