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Glendale Cemetery, Akron, Ohio

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  • Mary "Maryette" Retter Melson (1920 - d.)
    Note: Birth date on Geni and Find A Grave are off by six years. Mary Melson was a member of St. Vincent Catholic Church, Altar Society of the Church and St. Peter Claver Interracial Forum. She was s...
  • Jerome Brown Melson (1915 - 1996)
    Born in Manchester Georgia, Jerome Melson had lived in Akron for 53 years and worked as an employee with BF Goodrich for 35 years. Mr. Melson was a member of St. Vincent Catholic Church and The Holy ...
  • Vennah Mary Andrews- Brown-Cook-Harris (1913 - 1988)
    Note: Vennah's Find A Grave Profile lists 1919 as year of birth Vennah Cook, 69, of 509 Crosby St., passed away Nov. 23, 1988 at Akron General Medical Center. She was born in Pensacola, FL and had l...
  • Samuel Jackson Moore (1899 - 1972)
  • Arillia Beatrice Moore-Clark (1904 - 1990)
    From The Akron Beacon-Journal [Akron, OH], Tuesday, January 16, 1990: Rillia Bea (Moore) Clark Rillia Bea (Moore) Clark, 85, passed away Jan. 13, 1990. Mrs. Clark was born in Mayfield, Ky., and was a m...

Glendale is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was established in 1839 by Dr. J.D. Commins, who visited Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was inspired to create the same park-like setting for a cemetery in Akron. The cemetery features a wide variety of architectural styles that draw upon ancient building forms. Mausoleums are modeled after Egyptian, Greek and Roman temples or Gothic churches. The stately mausoleums and symbolic statues are scattered throughout, honoring prominent citizens of Akron, including politicians, famous, industrialists, and Akron socialites.

Official Website



Established in 1839, Glendale Cemetery (Original name: Akron Rural Cemetery), originally was inspired by Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Mass. At the beginning, Glendale was comprised of 88-acres. In 1850, Oak Openings, a smaller 8-acre cemetery was incorporated into the site. Then in 1891, another area called the "western section" was added. When driving through the main gate of Glendale, several structures catch your attention. To the left on the hill, is the Bell Tower, then there's the office, the Gate Lodge and the Civil War Chapel. (The Chapel has it's own Find-A-Grave page). The Civil War Chapel was built to commemorate Akron's Civil War dead. Names of those who did not return are inscribed on the interior walls. The basement is a tomb for those who did return. There are hundreds of veteran's graves from all the wars at Glendale. But what makes Glendale Cemetery stand out are the graves and family plots of Akron's famous. Industrialists, bankers, businessmen, tycoons, people of politics, etc. Names like Miller, Robinson, Saalfield, Seiberling, Perkins, Sherbondy, Young, Howard, the list goes on. Cypress Ave., the main road through Glendale is lined on both sides with the stately mausoleums of the turn-of-the-century wealthy. Designs range from Gothic, Egyptian, and modern to rustic, Colonial and Victorian.

Find a Grave



Glendale Cemetery was founded in 1839 by Dr. J.D. Commons. Here statues of prominent citizens, an avenue of stately mausoleums and a collection of headstones tell the story of Akron's past. Originally known as Akron Rural Cemetery, Commons modeled the design of the cemetery after Boston's Mount Auburn Cemetery, which he visited in 1838. Glendale is a picturesque romantic landscape with its curving roads, use of promontories to create vistas and a variety of architectural styles that draw upon ancient building forms. Mausoleums are modeled after Egyptian, Greek and Roman temples or Gothic churches. Nineteenth-century accounts described Glendale as “beautifully laid out in romantic drives and walks” and note its role as an area park and tourist destination.

Originally, the cemetery had a stream and two bodies of water—Willow and Swan Lakes. Due to the increased development surrounding the cemetery during the late 19th century, the natural spring that fed the lakes dried up. The superintendent of the cemetery at that time proposed running a pipe to the Ohio and Erie Canal to re-water the lakes, but this was never realized. Today the open space or Great Meadow recalls the scale of Swan Lake and several mausoleums have small foot bridges that once crossed over the stream fronting them. Distinct sections of the cemetery are devoted to the Masons, Akron's Jewish community and infants and children. The Civil War is prominently commemorated in Glendale Cemetery. The Buckley Post of the Union Army has a large memorial marker surrounded by 50 headstones located on the northern plateau. The 1876 Gothic Revival style Memorial Chapel was constructed by the Buckley Post and has been recently restored.

Wikipedia