The President’s Cemetery

We are going to keep it short today with a quick graveyard post.

One afternoon, I was driving home from the law offices of my esteemed attorney in Lancaster, Ohio. Then, I decided to take a drive through the surrounding countryside. No, it was not just a random drive. Instead, it was a hunt for a dodecagon. Some mythical beast of Lancaster? I wish. Rather, its an isolated family cemetery surrounded by a thick 12 sided (ie dodecagon) stone wall. This lonely old cemetery is officially the Stonewall Cemetery. But, this unique burial ground has an interesting history. And, that history has earned the graveyard a special nickname…

First, lets give credit where credit is due. The Stonewall Cemetery is the burial grounds of Nathanial Wilson and family. Nathanial is a very early pioneer of the area. Nathanial started and his son finished construction in the early 1800s. Six members of the Wilson family are interred here. The stone dodecagon surrounding the graves is one of the best examples of dry-stone masonry in Ohio. But, that’s not all that makes this cemetery unique…

True, the massive wall provides adequate protection for the Wilson family. But, Nathanial also enlisted some high profile individuals to watch over it. In 1817, Nathanial deeded the cemetery’s land over to the 5th President of the United States, James Monroe. Furthermore, the Fairfield County officials made it a long standing county tradition to transfer these trustee duties over to all of the subsequent Presidents. Yep. When you get to be President of the USA, you get to become the trustee of this lonely cemetery outside of Lancaster, Ohio. The perks of being President never stop. No President is buried here. But, you now know how this place earned the literal nickname of…the President’s Cemetery. Have a great day. PT

Thanks for reading “The President’s Cemetery” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

If you enjoy graveyard short stories, you may also enjoy reading https://travelingwithpt.com/tales-from-the-grave/

To visit for yourself…https://www.fairfieldcountyparks.org/historical-features/stonewall-cemetery/