Greenlawn Cemetery, at one time known as Station Road Cemetery, is located on the north side of Eastern Avenue, west of Watt Street, Chillicothe, Ohio.
Chillicothe was the first capital of Ohio and is the county seat of Ross County. Ross County was created in 1798 and Ohio became a state in 1803. Chillicothe was the capital from 1803 — 1810 and again from 1812 — 1816. In October 1831 the Ohio and Erie Canal was completed from Cleveland to Chillicothe which stimulated the development of the Scioto Valley and brought many people to the area, including families from Germany and Ireland. Many stones in the cemetery have been translated to English from the original German.
Little is known of the early history and previous ownership of the land now known as Greenlawn Cemetery. According to Ross County history books, it was laid out about 1865 as the Scioto Township Cemetery, and previous to that had been used as a private burial ground. There are graves as early as 1814 that have been found, but it is not known if they were original burials or arrived at Greenlawn after other cemeteries in the area were abandoned. Additional unclaimed graves from the old Presbyterian Cemetery which is located opposite the railroad depot on Main Street were moved to Greenlawn in March of 1873. This was done because the City Council passed a resolution to stop using the old Presbyterian Cemetery due to the railroad. The Presbyterian Cemetery had been in use since about 1810. The earliest burial records for Greenlawn Cemetery burned about 1890 in the small out building that was in the middle of the cemetery. This building at one time was used for funerals and later as a tool shed. It has since been torn down. Some of the only early records that show the plot owners are on a map that was created by Peter Bohn, clerk of Scioto Township in April of 1886. This can be found at the cemetery office.
The construction of Camp Sherman on 2000 acres just north of the city in 1917 had quite an effect on Ross County and Chillicothe. It swelled the city of 16,000 to over 60,000 with soldiers, construction workers and their families. The Camp trained men from Ohio, West Virginia, and Western Pennsylvania during World War I. In the fall of 1918, a flu epidemic hit the camp. During October 1918, 1177 deaths occurred with many of the soldiers being buried at Greenlawn Cemetery in what is known as the Soldiers Circle. In recent years [1996] the Scioto Township Trustees have purchased approximately seven additional acres from the Wintersheimer family for a new Soldier’s Square and additional burial plots.
The U.S. Geological Survey National Mapping Information locates this cemetery at 39° 19' 29" N 82° 57' 41"W.
Greenlawn Cemetery is under the management of the Scioto Township Trustees, 164 South Watt Street, Chillicothe Ohio 45601 (740) 775-1431.
