Thursday, August 6, 2009

Beech Grove Cemetery

Originally I considered exploring Oak Hill Cemetery in Glendale. That was until I realized that it was a subsidiary of Spring Grove. I remembered this small cemetery in Springfield Township that I used to drive by almost every day. I didn't know the name of it nor had I ever walked the grounds. When I arrived, it was a like a whole new world. A much smaller and more dreary world compared to the monstrous Spring Grove. The cemetery was in such a tarnished state. Headstones were knocked over. Buildings were falling apart. The grass was uncut. Graves were sunk in. It was nearly a polar opposite of the cemetery I have come to know and love over the past five weeks. The latest burial date I discovered was 2005 which lead me to believe that the cemetery is still up and running. That was until I did a further investigation. This cemetery is a ghost town. I came to realize that this place has become a stain on the Springfield Township community. State law requires them to take over the abandoned cemetery (previously owned by Bethel AME Church in Lockland). The cemetery is currently in foreclosure and Springfield Township is in the process of transferring ownership. Once the township transfers the ownership, they will assume all maintenance duties. I saw a photo article showing a Boy Scout troop leveling some of the headstones. I found another article stating that a purchased burial plot had been filled with someone else's remains. This place currently owes Key Bank $42,000. The township currently has $5,ooo in their general budget allotted for the cemetery so it should be in better shape at year's end.

Some interesting facts:


1 comment: