Middleburg Heights in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Woodvale Union Cemetery
Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 6, 2019
1. Woodvale Union Cemetery Marker, side one
Woodvale Cemetery was established in the mid-1800s in Middleburgh Township, Ohio. The oldest marked grave holds Fred G. Klink (1833–1858), whose family donated a half acre of land for burials. In 1786, Frank M. Stearns (1832-1911) suggested the unnamed cemetery be called Woodvale, after the wooded vale beside it. In 1908, a fire destroyed the caretakers house and many cemetery records. Woodvale became a non-profit union cemetery in 1931, owned by Berea and the Village of Middleburg Heights and covering 33 acres at 7535 Engle Road. Pioneer families buried here: Fowles, Draft, Lovejoy, Sprague, and Stearns. Also buried here: John Baldwin (1788–1884) founder of Baldwin University and James Wallace (1878–1933) founder of German Wallace College (merged in 1913 to become Baldwin Wallace College).
Other notable burials here include William Engle (1814-1897), a constable, township trustee and school director who built the townships first log house in 1848; Veterans of every U.S. war and some conflicts including Second Lt. Albert E. Baesel (1890-1918), a WWI soldier from the 148th Infantry Division who received the Congressional Medal of Honor; Children from Bereas “Home for Children,” as far back as 1890. Graves were dug by hand by caretakers, including one-armed Fred Beavis (1907-1989),
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Erected 2010 by Woodvale Union Cemetery and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 99-18.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1786.
Location. 41° 21.565′ N, 81° 49.511′ W. Marker is in Middleburg Heights, Ohio, in Cuyahoga County. It is at the intersection of Fowles Road and Engle Road (Ohio Route 291), on the right when traveling west on Fowles Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Cleveland OH 44130, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Cleveland, on the Lake Erie Shore, and in the Western Reserve. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Woodvale Union Cemetery Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); In Memoriam (approx. 0.2 miles away); Solar Fountain (approx. 0.9 miles away); Adams Street Cemetery (approx. 1.2 miles away); Berea District Seven School (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Big Quarry (approx. 1.4 miles
Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 6, 2019
2. Woodvale Union Cemetery Marker, side two
Also see . . . Woodvale Then and Now. “Woodvale Cemetery has a charm of its own, with heavily landscaped areas and gardens on many of the graves. It is one of the few cemeteries in the area which allows owners of graves, with raised monuments, the opportunity to install flower gardens beside their monuments. ... Many families have created lovely, colorful, bordered gardens, dotted with solar lights and blooming flowers.” (Submitted on May 22, 2019.)
Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 6, 2019
3. Woodvale Union Cemetery and Marker
Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 6, 2019
4. Woodvale Union Cemetery Marker
Engle Road is on the left; Fowles Road runs east-west on the right.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 22, 2019. It was originally submitted on May 22, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 780 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 22, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
