This cemetery is the worst for honoring your loved ones. I wouldn't bury my pet there. Not allowed to put anything on the graves not even a topper on a headstone. They allow nothing on the graves. I'm so over this cemetery. No grave blankets, nothing. People pay good money to honor a person. Think long and hard before putting anyone at this cemetery. Next day your stuff will be in the trash! One star is to generous. read more

Deserves all the five-stars. I came to find some notable aviation pioneers, and I found them easily. Came before the office opened, but I'm sure they would have helped. Their website is well organized and very, very useful. That plus the Find-A-Grave app led me to each one. The place is laid out with many looping roads, but their map is great and the sections are well-marked. There are a couple of main roads that seem to have painted stripes the same color as on the map. It's a beautiful place, even on a cold grey day. It's well-maintained, and there were wreaths on the veterans' graves, put there by the cemetery I assume, plus the usual decorations families leave. Very narrow roads and not many places to get out of the way, so probably better to come during the week like I did. On a spring weekend it might be hard to drive around, and it is huge so you will be driving. They have a bird-watching map as well as a gravesite one. There are many local notables buried here. It's a sobering, but inspiring, place. read more

If you pre purchase a plot, you have to keep on them about getting your deed. Took me 4+ months. The last time I called about the deed they said they had it there in my file. Never called to tell me that! Over 4 months seems like a long time to do some paperwork. When mother passed away, we had a gravestone made. It took them a year to set the marker. They said they don't normally place a "stone " until they have so many marker foundations to pour at once. I think they said 100. The foundation they were referring to was a 3" thick piece of cement about 16"x 24" wide. Nothing labor intensive that I could imagine. I know it's not possible, but I could have mixed up the bag of cement and done it myself in 1/2 an hour for less than the $400 they charge read more

Celine with the administration office was considerate and explained everything simply to our families understanding. She helped finding a nice plot closed to a tree and very easy to find. Thanks Greenlawn for the compassion and professional service. read more

I purchased 3 cemetery plots at the cost of $3.5+ each between the period of 2021-2024 & have yet to receive my Deeds, even after repeated requests. Finally, on 11/01/24, I spoke with Beth who confirmed that I'd paid all 3 plots in-full & should have received my Deeds. Beth assured me that she would send them in the mail within 10 business days. That never happened. I left follow-up messages for her on 11/23/24 & 11/30/24, with no response. At this point, I'm at a total loss as to what to do to get the 3 Deeds for the cemetery plots that I am owed! read more

A truly beautiful cemetery! My wife and I visited a few weeks ago to see some of the graves of the many famous people buried there. We found the cemetery to be very well kept, clean and attractive. The staff especially, Margaret was very kind and helpful. You can tell that there is a real sense a caring by the stewards of this cemetery. We were very impressed. Families with loved ones here can be assured that these grounds are being respected and well cared for. read more

They could give you what you paid over $6,000 for a year earlier. Ready to file complaint either Ohio AG and whoever provides oversight and licensing for cemeteries. If I could give a zero, I would. read more

Wild Birds Unlimited hosted an organized bird walk. Before our walk began a representative of the cemetery met up with the group and gave some really neat facts and history about the cemetery. The cemetery is 360 acres, and is Ohio's 2nd largest cemetery. It opened in 1849. There are 27 miles of roads within the cemetery. There is a plan set in place to plant 200-300 trees per year. One of the oldest trees in the state is located here in the cemetery. It's a white oak that is believed to be 313 years old. There are 27 other oaks that are over 200 years old, and 90 more that are over 100. Because of the old and large trees the area is known as an arboretum. The cemetery welcomes bird watchers. There is a lot of history in this cemetery as well as lots of famous people buried here. *Eddie Rickenbacker - World War I flying ace *Gordon Battelle - founder of Battelle Memorial Institute *Samuel Bush - grandfather of President George H.W. Bush, and great-grandfather of President George W. Bush *Simon Lazarus - founder of Lazarus department stores *Lucas Sullivant - land surveyor, founder of Franklinton, Ohio *James Thurber - humorist, author, and New Yorker columnist *Allen G. Thurman - member of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, associate justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio, and U.S. Vice Presidential candidate *Lincoln Goodale - first physician to practice in Columbus And many many more. ---- (Copied from Wikipedia) The first burial at Green Lawn Cemetery was that of a child, Leonora Perry, on July 7, 1849. The second, and first adult, was Dr. B. F. Gard on July 12. The first headstone or other monument in the cemetery was erected the second week of October 1849 by William G. Deshler. It was for his wife, Olive, who had died at the age of 19. There are roughly 4,300 trees belonging to 150 species planted at the cemetery. This includes three "state champion" trees (the largest and tallest trees of their species anywhere in the state). In 2013, the Audubon Society recognized Green Lawn Cemetery as an "Important Bird Area". read more

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Incredible improvements have been made to this beautiful historic property. Many options available besides burial like the preconstruction mausoleum, the cremation garden and green tree burials. read more

I am reviewing Green Lawn as a park; it is not strange to do so. It was designed in the rural garden cemetery tradition that held fashion in the 19th century. The concept is more than a burial ground, but of a park too, filled with landscaping, trees, sculptures, and paths that followed the sways of the land. Green Lawn fits this idea perfectly; it is meant for public recreation, and is an often forgotten chest of treasures. It is a must visit for park lovers. It does not disappoint. The romantic designs of the place and the monuments scattered between its winding paths are visually striking. Spanning its 360 acres from its entrance arch off Greenlawn Avenue to its eastern border of Central Avenue are mausoleums and crypts, old worn tombstones and overbearing monuments, ivory statues of neoclassical and romantic significant, sad shrines to lost beloved children. And soldiers, under standard issue headstones, from all wars, some whose name will never be known, fate never knew to love ones back home, burred in a strange land, inurned in soil not of their own. Walking in a ceremony confronts your minds with the secrets of the dead, and with your own mortality. The trails curve and tosses about so fluidly I get lost every time I am here. Always clean of debris and nicely tendered, the land is easily walked and beautiful. In the center is a Neo-classically designed Chapel ornamented by Tiffany glass. To the south and east of that is a wildlife pond that attracts birds of many species and enhanced my early spring walk with chirps, mating calls, squawks, and the welcomed drumming of a Woodpecker, making his way through one of the many types of trees here. The historical significance of the garden is huge; the most influential, noted, infamous, and rich make this there everlasting hangout. Samuel Bush of the political family, James Thurber whose small monument is shadowed by the Wolfe's of dispatch fame, the department store mogul Simon Lazarus, James Forsyth the commander of the Wounded Knee Massacre, Eddie Rickenbacker war hero and Eastern Airlines CEO, and Lucas Sullivant the first settler in central Ohio are just a few of the notable laid to rest here. James Snook, the OSU prof who murdered a student in a sensational case in the 1930s is here, his last name uninscribed to protect against vandals. Walking among these ancient, jagged, gothic shapes with the sounds and aromas of nature around sends one to meditations--which I think is the deeper value of the park--about life, our own mortality, about regret and our human, all too human imperfections, proclivities, and appetites. The sense is to gather ye rose. . . to seize the day. . . while all around are noticeable monuments of the known, but of the not so known too; many impressive displays of "remember me" inscribed with a name forgotten. Thurber's stone is no more than a common garden stepping stone, Bush's is no more than a table top decoration. The largeness of your headstone can not enhance the smallness of your life, and that goes beyond the trivial concerns of remembrance. read more

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Columbus, Ohio has one cemetery above all of 'em: Green Lawn Cemetery. The official founding date is 1848 but the history found in Green Lawn is something everyone living in and around the Columbus area should see. The cemetery's chapel mausoleum was designed by Frank Packard. The spiritual retreat covers 360 acres and is home to wildlife and has bird sanctuary areas, too. Within the chapel are stained glass windows and mosaics created by Tiffany & Co. of New York. Well-known families and individuals interred at Green Lawn are; (a) Samuel Bush, grandfather and great-grandfather of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, U.S. Presidents; S. Bush being the president of Buckeye Steel; (b) Dr. Lincoln Goodale - first practicing physician of Franklinton; (c) Simon Lazarus - Lazarus Department Stores; (d) James Poindexter - conductor on the Underground Railroad and first African American to be elected to Columbus City Council; (e) Eddie Rickenbacker - WWI flying ace; (f) Lucas Sullivant - surveyor/planner of the city of Franklinton in 1797; (g) James Thurber - twentieth century authors, humorist and cartoonist and; (h) honored veterans of every war including the Civil War. You'll recognize the street names of Columbus on the memorials. Sullivant, Neil, Goodale, to name a few. The visit I made was in early Spring and the trees and flowers were only in budding stages. The plan is to return in early Summer when the property has had a good "haircut" and the blossoming is in full force. Green Lawn Cemetery - make the trip. Well worth it. Open every day from sun up to sun down. read more

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Having toured many a cemetery in my adventures across the united states, I will say, Columbus does indeed have a nice looking cemetery and that is Green Lawn. The morbid part of me could spend an entire afternoon just walking around and viewing graves, viewing the sculptures of an era pass, and finding familiar names and hometown celebrities. It's almost a macabre game to go "Oh-oh!! I know them!!" Green Lawn is serene and peaceful inside their gated perimeter. The mausoleums and crypts excite me to see such beautifully commissioned stained glass peering through backed by the sun light during the day, or the details in commissioned sculptures. I could only imagine the cost of that back in the heyday.... the wealth of love I suppose for someone who was very cared for. Some of the folks buried almost leave their own legacy for strangers passing to ponder and wonder. The main mausoleum is absolutely gorgeous inside with glass mosaics, and granite/marble columns. Green Lawn was created to exude an environment of peace and it's managed to hold onto this despite the city limits enclosing in on it. Green Lawn occasionally gives informative walks around the cemetery, and you should totally check it out if you're a Columbus history buff. There's some really interesting facts not only about the people buried there, but the cemetery itself. It's a beautiful and peaceful place as intended and it keeps that reputation. read more

If I could mark them in the negative I would. My mother passed away on 10/23/2020. My brother had passed away several years ago and my mom had always told me she had a plot already paid for right beside my brother in Greenlawn Cemetery. We had the showing and funeral all scheduled for that Wednesday. All I had to do was go to Greenlawn and pay for the open/close of her grave. I dealt with R. Cummerlander. I was in total shock at his professionalism (or severe lack of) the entire FOUR hours I was there. He told me that my mother did not pay for the plot beside my brother and in fact, another person had been buried beside him. He told me I would have to buy a new grave plot plus pay additional money for the opening and closing because of buying the plot the same week as the burial. I knew that my mom had paid for this plot beside my brother over 36 years ago. , I told him I was going to go through her stuff and find proof. Within and hour of leaving the cemetery, I called him and gave him the information from the receipt I found when she paid for the plot. He put me on hold and came back not even a minute later and said, OK, I found it, she does own that plot, nobody is buried there, but, there's no way you're going to have her funeral Wednesday, we don't have enough time to prepare. WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!? I had to cancel her showing and funeral for that Wednesday. There was no way to notify everyone so people kept showing up at the funeral home that day, some driving as long as three hours. Also, most of her family members were now not able to come to her showing/funeral because they had taken that Wednesday off because that is when everything was set up to be. He showed zero compassion, he did not apologize, he did not even try to work something out to allow us to keep the same arrangement, nothing. The torture I went through while dealing with him gave me so much anxiety and stress on top of dealing with losing my mother unexpectedly, the thought of her not being buried where she wanted, beside her only son, was almost unbearable. He flat out tried to rob us. I tried reaching out to management, I received no return phone calls. He should NEVER work with anyone that is in a vulnerable grieving state, he made things so much worse. read more

Greenlawn buried an elderly couple in the dedicated "pathway" between 6 of our family plots, three purchased on either side of the pathway. Our lots are consecutively numbered, and we purposely purchased them on either side of the pathway. When I went to bury my (cremated) dad and found the couple buried between my dad's parents and his sister, I asked Greenlawn to work with us on the price of burial for the three remaining vacant plots. I spoke with three Greenlawn staff over five months. They said they'd look into it and get back to me, but didn't. Greenlawn representative finally said "I can't do anything. Read the small print in your contract. We're here to serve you." read more

Green Lawn is a beautiful cemetery but does not have great customer service. They do not adhere to their own policies. On the Weds after Easter (4/7) and the decorations she made and put on my dad's grave were gone. She went to the office to inquire and they asked for her number and said they would get back with her. They did not. 2 weeks later she went again and talked to another person who ultimately did email her with an explanation. It is in the attached photos, along with the policy she attached. She stated they remove items for mowing. This is NOT in their policy (again, see attached). She said they remove them about a week after the holiday (this was 3 days after). Cut to today, the 5th of July (day after holiday) and her decorations are gone again. Again, against their policy (attached...lean up date is July 31st). Never had this issue in past years and they always mowed before. Apparently this isn't the first time Green Lawn has pulled this (https://abc6onyourside.com/on-your-side/6-on-your-side/families-angered-over-cemetery-policy-changes) My mom is so upset because she can't leave anything on my dad's grave and she feels like that is the only way she can display her love and care for him and is afraid people will think he isn't loved. This is disrespectful to her and my dad, who is a veteran BTW. Please stick to your policies, Green Lawn...you are costing a lot of money and grief by breaking your promises on something so sacred as a loved one's final resting place. The decorations are attached too...they clearly do not violate policy read more

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The poor service at this Cemetery is shocking. My mother passed last week. We have prepaid for the vault, etc. They are requiring, because of some antiquated protocol - that a family member MUST come to the Cemetery to sign an authorization to "open the gravesite". They refuse to email me the document - as I live in Denver. It is 2017 - but they continue to participate in this predatory behavior. We are not having a graveside service, we are not prolonging our grief by going to the burial/interment. They were eager to send me electronic correspondence when I was PURCHASING the plot. No issues with my email signature at that time. Their representative was argumentative and disrespectful. I have notified all of my Columbus Ohio family members and colleagues to avoid this Cemetery. NPR coverage of this unsavory, unsettling and unethical behavior was enlightening. Cathy Phelps, MA, LCSW read more

Our relatives have been buried there for many years. We visit every Memorial Day and have seen the grounds deteriorate. The grass is not mowed on a regular basis and is 2 feet tall in many places making it very difficult to even find the grave markers. The roads within the cemetery also need repair with large pot wholes making it difficult to navigate to the graves of loved ones. Having visited for the past 50 years, it is disheartening to see the change. Calling the office or stopping in to register our concern, has not done anything. More importantly, the unkept sections present a health hazard to visitors. Current conditions would qualify the grounds as a weed lot fostering pests and vermin which could result in rat bites, snake bites, deer and other ticks, fleas, raccoons/rabies, etc. Bring your weed whacker and protective clothing if you go. read more

It has come to my attention by a fellow soldiers mother that her son/my friend who has been laid to rest here has weeds COVERING his entire headstone. They won't do anything about it and she was on her own hands and knees crying as she cleared his headstone. This is not how veterans should be treated. These families confided in you to take care of them because that's what you're there for right? This is complete crap and it is so unbelievably disrespectful to the fallen veteran, his family, friends and fellow comrades. Please consider this review before placing your loved one here. Also, the mother informed me that the fallen soldier next to him who died 8 days after him, his headstone is even worse!!!! This should not be happening! Make some changes so these family members do not have to get on their hands and knees with tears down their faces when they should be reminiscing and peaceful rather than clean off their headstone child's headstone due to lack of effort by this cemetery! read more

Is it weird that I like cemeteries? IDK, who cares. They're peaceful and interesting. Green Lawn is spacious and beautiful...you could easily spend all day there just wandering around. It's also full of quite a few geocaches, so in addition to enjoying the beautiful scenery, you can also get some "treasure" hunting done. Lots of really neat gravestones here as well - go check out the story of Dr. Snook and then find his grave! read more

As a young adult, my mom used to go to cemeteries for picnic dates or late-night romps, and even when I was little, she would drag me to the burial grounds where I would stand in very calculated spots to avoid stepping on dead bodies. So, you'd think I would detest the places as an adult, but contrarily, I love going to a good graveyard. Columbus' biggest and best cemetery is Greenlawn. All the famous dead Columbus settlers are buried here, including Dr. Lincoln Goodale, Simon Lazarus, Gordon Battelle, Alice Shille, and the Neil, Thurber, and Kelton families. Also buried in Greenlawn is Samuel Bush, grandfather and great-grandfather of both presidents George Bush; feel free to stop by and curse his grave. Greenlawn has a lot of interesting sculptures and headstones including one of a young boy from the 1800s that is permanently littered with teddy bears and draped with Mardi Gras beads. I'm not sure of the story behind this one. Sites at the cemetery include the butterfly garden, bridge, pond, champion trees, veteran sections, chapel mausoleum, garden mausoleum, personal mausoleums, obelisks, cremation island, and several large monuments. Additionally, Greenlawn is a great place to bird watch. Volunteers offer free tours through the property, but I can't say I've been on one. There are currently about 147,000 people buried here, and the cemetery estimates it can continue offering burial plots for another hundred years. Here's a fun fact for the kids: Columbus' first cemetery, the North Graveyard, was located in the area now known as the Short North. It was founded in 1813 and functioned as the city's main place of internment for nearly sixty years. Spurred by the building of the first Union Station (two more would follow) during the 1870s and 80s, those buried in marked graves were moved to the newer cemetery, Greenlawn. Much of the North Graveyard was also sold to early businesses. But the grave-movers were not very thorough in their work. Hence, many business were built on top of inhabited cemetery plots. For years, land renovators have found aged corpses while excavating Short North sites, with the most recent find occurring in 2001. In an October 2006 article of the Short North Gazette, archaeologist Ryan J. Weller, who conducted the 2001 excavation, explained, "They had moved the obvious ones with tombstones. Families moved some [of the bodies]. Some were left because they didn't know they were there. Also, the developer was told he could develop the land as soon as possible. He obviously didn't care how he got them out...A ghoul would have done a better job of moving the bodies." read more

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One might think that the only reason for visiting a cemetery is to put flowers on the grave of a loved one. Outside of that it'd be morbid curiosity. However, Greenlawn Cemetery is a historical marker in Columbus, established in 1848. Yet, historians aren't the only ones who might take interest in this place. If you are a naturalist, in the spring it is a hot spot for bird watching. The sign just inside the entrance even notes it. Apparently there is a flyway where the birds can nest and that is what attracts them. Even in the dead of winter there were huge groups of birds flitting and chattering about the grounds. Although, I would recommend the spring most of all because then the flowers and blooms on the trees would bring some cheer as well as that would be the time when there'd be the most variety of birds. And you would be wandering for quite a while as it is a huge place. read more

Green Lawn Cemetery - Funeral Services & Cemeteries Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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Birders flock to this cemetery in numbers so huge you would think John James Audubon himself was buried here, and I am one of them. I went here Friday morning before work in search of White Winged Crossbills which is one of my faves because it looks exactly like its name. This is a rarity in Columbus since these guys generally forage along the northern belt of spruce and hemlocks in s.canada. Every ten years or so there is an 'eruption' in central U.S. when the weather prohibits the crossbills favorite conifers to produce, so there is a lack of food. This is the case right now so everyone is tripping overthemselves to get a look and add to their life list. I went around 8:00 AM hoping to avoid the geriatric birders in their SUVs clogging up the narrow and winding roads in the cemetery. I stopped at the pit and got yelled at by some lazy bird nerds birding from inside their cars and made my way over to section H. Sure enough I saw 15 crossbills mostly male and few females, other notable species included a downy woodpecker and a merlin. Due to the old growth tree line, this cemetery is a birder's heaven. I love that I can see just as many species as a trip up to the Lake. I just wish that it wasn't always so full of birders in big cars, I guess I will have to work on starting a birding car pool between now and spring migration. read more

Do not use this cemetery. The have cheated us and some family members out of money. I have been trying since end of August to get this resolved, went down there 4 times and had many conversations with various people there. Their records are horrible and the response to voice mails is almost non-existent. My family member tried for months for them to do what they said, and it was finally done, but some money was not reimbursed. read more