DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Dayton’s Woodland Cemetery is a national and state historic landmark. Offering tours, it brings in visitors curious to learn about famous Daytonians buried there.
At 181 years old, Woodland Cemetery is one of the oldest nonprofits in Ohio and the keeper of Dayton’s history.
More than 200 acres preserve Dayton’s past and the people who shaped it.
“Just so many inventors, and writers, and authors and people of nobility, Dayton nobility,” states Angie Hoschouer, Manager of Development and Marketing and Volunteer Coordinator.
The Wright Brothers, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Colonel Edward Deeds are just some of the notable figures buried there.
“More contemporary–we have Erma Bombeck, the writer,” says Hoschouer.
Walking through the grounds, there’s much more to the cemetery than meets the eye.
“When you come out and you take a walk through our grounds, there’s a sense of peace, calm, serenity that I think a lot of people look forward to or need sometimes to just go someplace where they can be alone, be surrounded by what seems to them peace and serenity,” says Hoschouer.
As a final resting place for more than 110,000 people, it’s a treasure more than a century old in our own backyard.
“We want people to take our tours to learn more about–We have fun tours. We have historic tours, women of Woodland. It’s all about the women. Sports legends–We have the founder of the NFL, Carl Stewart. He’s buried here,” says Hoschouer. “Of course our most popular tours — the History, Mystery, Murder, and Mayhem.”
To learn more about the tours offered, click here.
