Ohio City / Monroe Street Cemetery

Ohio City, also, Monroe Street Cemetery. . Ohio City was originally part of Brooklyn Township, which was founded by Richard Lord and Josiah Barber in 1818. The township population increased rapidly with the completion of the Ohio Canal in 1832. The “City of Ohio” became an independent, incorporated and municipality on March 3, 1836, two days before Cleveland, and remained so until June 5, 1854, when it was annexed to Cleveland. Barber was the first Mayor of Ohio City and Lord served as Mayor in 1843. Historic borders of the city were Lake Erie on the north, the Cuyahoga River on the east, Walworth Run (Train Avenue) on the south, and West 58th Street on the west. Ohio City became well known for shipbuilding and the manufacturing of iron products such as steam engines and locomotives. , In January 1836, Barber and Lord sold a six-acre parcel for $160 that was to be used “forever as a public burying ground.” When Ohio City incorporated, the township cemetery became the city cemetery. Ohio City’s council established the cemetery’s rules and regulations, appointed a sexton, arranged for the ground to be platted, and purchased a hearse. After annexation by Cleveland, the cemetery became known as “the west side cemetery” and, later, the Monroe Street Cemetery. Under Cleveland’s charge, the cemetery was landscaped, protected by patrolmen, and fenced to keep out wandering hogs. Until the late 1890s, Monroe Street was the only public cemetery on Cleveland’s west side. Architect Joseph Ireland designed the cemetery’s Gothic Revival gateway arch (1874). Architect Walter Blythe designed the cemetery’s gatehouse, also in the Gothic Revival style (1876).