Hidden Details at Ferncliff Cemetery and Arboretum
Ferncliff is a place where you can wander, pause and take your time to explore the beautiful memorials and subtle surprises hidden throughout. Whether you’re visiting for the first time or the fiftieth, here are some details that you won’t want to overlook!
Monuments to Visit
Scattered throughout the cemetery, these larger-than-life memorials honor influential figures, artistic traditions, and moments of local pride. Here are some monuments worth seeking out next time you visit.
The John Thomas Monolith
A 32-foot, 88-ton monument dedicated to the Hon. John H Thomas, a local philanthropist and leader, can be found in section D. It was erected in 1902 and was the second tallest monument in the U.S., second only to the monument of John D. Rockefeller in Cleveland.
The Bauer Monument
The Bauer monument in section O is one of the most photographed in the cemetery. It features a neo-classical style statue of a mourning woman holding a wreath. Buried in the family plot are Charles Bauer, wife Louise, and their sons,Charles, William and Louis.
Bauer was Superintendent of Champion Bar & Knife Company in Springfield. A native of Wurtemberg, Germany, his family immigrated to the United States in 1852. In 1868 he was married to Miss Louise Miss Louise Haeseler, who came to the U>S. with her parents from St. Goar, Prussia, in 1851.
The Taylor Monument
Visit section 55 to see The Taylor Monument, recreation of Ohio Stadium at The Ohio State University. Eric Owns Taylor is buried in the family plot. Eric was a Springfield graduate, served in the air force and was a beloved football coach in Springfield, known to some players as the "Gentlest" Head Coach they ever met.
Judge Norman Carey Monument
Located in Section Q, the monument for Judge Norman Carey is inscribed with a passage that reflects his years of service and civic activism: “What doth the Lord require of thou, but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God.” Carey was interred at Ferncliff in October 2008.
American Revolution Monument
At the south end of section C is a rock shaped monument with a bronze plate which lists the names of Springfield’s veterans of the American Revolution. These men were largely interred in the Springfield Burial Ground (the Demint) or Greenmount. To our knowledge, no veterans of the American Revolution are interred in Ferncliff, however, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) erected this memorial in Ferncliff in their honor.
The Bauer monument in section O of Ferncliff is one of the most photographed in the cemetery.
The Taylor Monument is a recreation of Ohio Stadium at The Ohio State University.
The monument for Judge Norman Carey is inscribed with a passage that reflects his years of service and civic activism.
The Little Details
The cliffs bordering Buck Creek near the Leaning Rock were used as an encampment for men working on the National Road in the 1800s. If one looks closely enough evidence of the encampment can be found in the cliff’s crevices.
If you find yourself in section 38, head east to look for a marker which reads on the back: “I told you I was sick.”
Should you spot the phenomenon of flower stems left at a gravesite with no flower tops, you can thank our resident deer. They come out nightly and nibble every fresh flower in the cemetery that they can!
We hope you will plan a visit to Ferncliff soon to discover the beauty in the details throughout our cemetery and arboretum.
he cliffs bordering Buck Creek near the Leaning Rock were used as an encampment for men working on the National Road in the 1800s.
