The Old Burying Ground ~ Greenfield, Ohio

The Old Burying Ground ~ Greenfield, Ohio. . , The cemetery's four acres on the west bank of Paint Creek were given by Duncan McArthur when he founded Greenfield in 1799 and are the final resting place for approximately 900 burials., In 1821 a stone meeting house stood to the north of the cemetery, the site where later a Presbyterian Church was built. It was removed before 1972 when the historic "Travellers Rest" was re-constructed there. A log schoolhouse was built in this cemetery in 1815 but was abandoned in 1837., The earliest burial is believed to be that of an infant son of John Coffey who died in 1800. The first adult burial was that of William Bell, veteran of the American Revolutionary War and the first adult person buried in Highland County (5/28/1763 - 11/18/1801). He was disinterred from the Old Burying Ground and re-buried in the Greenfield Cemetery in the Bell family plot. The last known burial occurred in 1988., Rev. Samuel Crothers, noted abolitionist and pastor of the First Presbyterian Church for over thirty-four years, is buried here next to Travellers Rest. Also buried here is the first known African American in Greenfield, Rachael Stafford. This cemetery serves as the final resting place for veterans of five wars-American Revolutionary War, War of 18 12, Civil War, Spanish American War, and world war two., Each year Scenic Ohio gives special recognition to communities, organizations and individuals who work to improve and protect Ohio's visual qualities, scenic places, distinctive culture and historical character. In 2025 the organization honored scenic preservation at Ohio's cemeteries and the Old Burying Ground was one of seven such cemeteries honored and was selected from more than 100 nominees., The list below shows name and “Section Number/Lot Number" for the burials here. The Section Number refers to the designation shown in white on the above map (i.e. A3). The Lot Numbers in each section go from left to right and front to back within each section., In 2007-2009 volunteers repaired the stone wall along the front of the cemetery bordering McArthur Way. It was a massive effort and resulted in a beautiful look to the cemetery's front perimeter. During the process, workers encountered various broken monument pieces and, in an effort, to see that they were not lost or further destroyed, installed many within the wall. However, since we have been preserving monuments within the cemetery, we have found where many of those pieces should have been re-located. If you notice a Section Number/Lot Number by one of the burials in the list that indicates a "W" that means part of the person's burial stone is included in the wall.