Famous Folks at Ferncliff: Industrialists
Ferncliff Cemetery & Arboretum was established in 1863 and holds a wealth of stories. Learn more about some of the local titans of industry among the “Famous Folks at Ferncliff.”
The people remembered in this article are also featured in the “Industrialists” self-guided tour, which includes several other remarkable industry leaders.
Scipio Baker, Jessie Baker, Margaret Baker
1860 – 1921 1868 – 1949 1897 – 1986 Section P, Lot 19
The Baker family operated Champion Chemical Company, a major supplier to the funeral industry of embalming fluid, and other funeral & cemetery supplies. The business was originally founded in 1886 as the Springfield Metallic Casket Company, by Alonzo Addision Baker, and incorporated as Champion Chemical Company in 1888.
Scipio Baker, the son of Alonzo, graduated from Wittenberg College in 1878 and entered the family business. He married Jessie Foos in 1895 and together they had a daughter, Margaret, in 1897.
Diversifying his portfolio, Scipio became president of the Royal Salt Company of Kansas in 1889, and also served as director of the Western Salt Company of St. Louis. Scipio was president of the Foos Gas Engine Co. in 1897, prior to becoming the President of the Champion Chemical Company. He was also named president and director of Springfield National Bank.
When Scipio passed unexpectedly in 1921, his wife Jessie took over as President of the Champion Chemical Company, assisted by their daughter, Margaret. Margaret then became President when her mother died in 1949.
Margaret was a pioneer of women’s leadership in the mid 1900s. She was the first president of the Altrusa Club of Springfield, a women’s service club, regarded as a powerful force in business and industry, and took her position as president of The Champion Company at age 25. A lecturer and world traveler, Margaret was also an amateur filmmaker, documenting her travels.
Margaret passed away in 1986, and the family is interred in Ferncliff Cemetery together.
In addition to her medical practice, she was active in the Temperance movement and the Central ME Church. On April 6, 1876, Ada Adams died after giving birth to a newborn daughter.
Asa Smith Bushnell
1834 – 1904 Section P
Asa Smith Bushnell moved to Springfield, Ohio as a teenager. He became a prominent businessman in Springfield, holding the positions of president of the Warder, Bushnell and Glessner Company (which became International Harvester), president of the Springfield Gas Company and president of the First National Bank of Springfield during his career.
Asa served as the 40th Governor of Ohio from 1896-1900. His administration took an early leadership role in prohibiting price fixing and corrupt business practices through the Valentine Anti-Trust Act.
Perhaps the most distinguished mausoleum on the grounds is the Bushnell Family Mausoleum, the large white building in the center of the grounds.
John W. Bookwalter
1839 – 1917 Section O, Lot 57
As a farmer from Indiana, he came to Springfield in 1865 to investigate James Leffel’s waterwheel. He married Leffel’s daughter and joined the company. John became president when Leffel died in 1866.
A distinguished world traveler and collector of antiques, he was a noted philanthropist to Wittenberg College and other area charities.
Completed in 1879 after the death of Eliza J. Bookwalter, the Bookwalter Leffel Museum was erected as Ferncliff Cemetery’s first freestanding mausoleum.
James Leffel
1806 – 1866 Section E, Lot 14
Dubbed “Clark County’s First inventor,” James Leffel’s creations propelled Springfield into the Industrial Revolution.
James’ family relocated to Springfield, Ohio from Virginia in 1806. Leffel worked as a millwright for 14 years before venturing out to create James Leffel & Co.
James married Mary Croft in 1830, and together they had nine children.
Holding several patents, James’ inventions included the first foundry and machine shop near the National Road, harnessing the power of Buck Creek; the double turbine waterwheel; and a “Buckeye stove” improving upon the conventional oven.
James died in 1866, and his business continued on, led by his wife, Mary, William Foos and John W. Bookwalter.
Oliver Smith Kelley
1824 – 1904 Section A, Lot 56
Oliver Smith (a.k. O.S.) Kelly was born Dec. 13, 1824 in Greene Township, Clark County, Ohio. Kelly farmed with his father before serving as a carpenter’s apprentice and later working as a journeyman. He married Ruth Ann Peck in 1847.
O.S. formed a construction partnership with J.A. Anderson that operated until 1852. Kelly then traveled West to visit the mining regions of California, returning to Ohio in 1856 with a considerable fortune.
After his return, O.S. was involved in several business ventures, including the manufacture of reapers, renovation of an old factory into Kelly’s Arcade and Hotel and the purchase of several other companies, including what would become O.S. Kelly Piano Plate Co.
In 1863, O.S. was chosen as a member of the Springfield city council and served in that capacity for six years before he was appointed trustee for the waterworks.
In 1887, O.S. Kelly was elected Mayor of Springfield. He subsequently served in many city offices and on many business and charitable boards, including Ferncliff Cemetery’s Board of Directors, up to the close of his life.
O.S. died on April 11, 1904. His sons Oliver Warren and Edward S. Kelly continued in his business affairs after his death. The Kelly monument stands tall in Ferncliff Cemetery overlooking beautiful Kelly Lake, which was donated and constructed by O.S. Kelly, in Section A, Lot 56.
