Union Cemetery is a historic

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 bu ...

on Olentangy River Road near

Riverside Methodist Hospital Riverside Methodist Hospital is the largest member hospital of OhioHealth, a not-for-profit, faith-based healthcare system located in Columbus, Ohio. As a regional tertiary care hospital, Riverside Methodist is host to a number of specialty cen ...

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

, Ohio. Owing to its location near the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pu ...

, it has been the chosen resting place for numerous Buckeye luminaries and Columbus politicians.

History

Balser Hess, a veteran of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

, established a farm on the site in the early 19th century. Hess is thought to be the first burial there, in 1806. It was established as a public cemetery in 1847. The cemetery lies just east of State Route 315, and is responsible for that highway's infamous "hospital curve." The

Ohio Department of Transportation The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT; ) is the administrative department of the Ohio state government responsible for developing and maintaining all state and U.S. roadways outside of municipalities and all Interstates except the Ohio ...

had sought for years to seize cemetery land for the road, but the

Supreme Court of Ohio 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 ...

sided with the cemetery. Eventually a compromise was reached resulting in a short east–west leg of the route running between the cemetery to the south and Riverside Hospital to the north.

Notable burials

Notable individuals buried at the cemetery include: *

Myron B. Gessaman Myron Bierdeman Gessaman (October 15, 1894 – August 20, 1975) was a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Ohio and a veteran of the United States Army during World War I. He served as mayor of Columbus, a prosecutor and judge of ...

, Mayor of Columbus *

Hank Gowdy Harry Morgan Gowdy (August 24, 1889 – August 1, 1966) was an American professional baseball catcher, first baseman, manager and coach who played in the major leagues for the New York Giants and the Boston Braves. He was a member of the "Mirac ...

, Professional baseball player for

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

and

Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

Chic Harley Charles Wesley "Chic" Harley (September 15, 1895 – April 21, 1974) was an American football player and athlete, often credited with bringing Ohio State University's football program to national attention. Harley was Ohio State's first consens ...

, Ohio State football player *

Woody Hayes Wayne Woodrow Hayes (February 14, 1913 – March 12, 1987) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University (1946–1948), Miami University in Oxford, Ohio (1949–1950), and Ohio State University (19 ...

, Ohio State football coach *

Paul M. Herbert Paul Morgan Herbert (December 2, 1889 – July 5, 1983) was an American politician of the Republican Party who served three separate tenures as the 47th, 49th and 52nd lieutenant governor of Ohio. He was born in Marseilles, Ohio. During the Fi ...

, Three-time

Lieutenant Governors of Ohio A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

, Ohio Supreme Court Justice * Arthur G. James, Surgeon, founder of

The James Cancer Hospital The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (commonly shortened to just The James) is part of The Ohio State University and one of the 45 National Comprehensive Cancer hospitals. It is named after Arthur G. Jam ...

Benny Kauff Bennie Michael "Benny" Kauff (January 5, 1890 – November 17, 1961)Benny Kauff Play ...

, Professional baseball player for

Hank Marr Hank Marr (30 January 1927 – 16 March 2004) was a jazz musician known for his work on the Hammond B-3 organ. Career Natives of Columbus, Ohio, Hank Marr and tenor saxophonist Rusty Bryant co-led a group that toured for several years, beginning i ...

Jazz Musician *

Joel Parsons Joel Lewis Parsons (born 24 July 1985 in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia) is a former professional motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometim ...

, Civil War recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...

Buck Rinehart Dana Gillman "Buck" Rinehart (February 24, 1946 – February 18, 2015) was an American attorney who served as the 50th mayor of Columbus, Ohio, from 1984 to 1992. Biography Rinehart was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia in 1946. Having serve ...

, Mayor of Columbus * Lynn St. John, Ohio State basketball coach * Fred Taylor, Ohio State basketball player and coach * Dave Thomas, Founder of

Wendy's Wendy's is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas (1932–2002) on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of December 31, 2018, Wendy's was ...

*Nathan A. McCoy, United States Postmaster at Columbus, Ohio

References

External links

* * * {{Find a Grave cemetery Cemeteries in Columbus, Ohio