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Green Lawn Cemetery

3.2 (22 reviews)
Open Open 24 hours
Updated 2 weeks ago

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Kevin C.

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".

Commander at Wounded knee
Ryan S.

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.

Entry plaque in the front entrance.
Walt S.

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.

Easter decorations

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

I'd love to know why, of all the child graves, this one is always so decorated.
Morgan D.

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."

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Ask the Community - Green Lawn Cemetery

Review Highlights - Green Lawn Cemetery

. Well-known families and individuals interred at Green Lawn are; (a) Samuel Bush, grandfather and great-grandfather of George H

Mentioned in 3 reviews

Read more highlights

Schoedinger Midtown - Standard pet cremation package is a wooden urn with nameplate, paw print, lock of hair, and grieving literature.

Schoedinger Midtown

(9 reviews)

Downtown

UPDATE 1/28/26 My boy passed away on Dec 23 2025 and I've still NOT received his ashes. In October…read moreI lost my 15 year old cat, brought her here. I was told then they were running 3 to 4 weeks behind because of repairs to their equipment. Now they are 4 to 6 weeks behind, atleast! Absolutely unethical to take people's money and then have them wait nearly 2 months to get their beloved pets back. DO NOT BRING YOUR PETS HERE! If you want your beloved pet home in a timely manner, go somewhere else. It's been a month after I was told 2 to 3 weeks, which at the time felt like an eternity. I called this past Sunday as it was going on 4 and was told I would hear from someone that Tuesday or Wednesday. It's now Friday and I was just told it will be another week. I can't even begin to explain how upset and angry I am. Losing my boy was a shock and devastated me. I just want him home. 4-6 weeks to get your babies back? Unacceptable. Never again.

My dog passed 12/3/23. He was with West Vets and Schoedinger handles cremations for them…read more On 12/21/23, I left a message for Schoedinger because I have not received his ashes yet. I offered to come pick up his ashes, as my vet said they are short staffed, do not have enough people to pickup and drop back off. I received a call from a lady named Wendy. She said if I wanted to pay $100 more, they would place his cremation as "priority" and I could pick up ashes the same day I pay, that he was in their "queue" and it would be another week or so. I think that is a horrible policy - the fact that they are trying to make more money off of people who are grieving a lost family member truly is disturbing and disgusting. If they are short staffed, then they need to hire more people. They should be ashamed - people are grieving and you are attempting to prey on their sadness for monetary gain. I wish I could give you 0 stars.

O. R. Woodyard Co. Funeral & Cremation Services

O. R. Woodyard Co. Funeral & Cremation Services

(2 reviews)

Merion Village

Very professional, accessible, and compassionate. Gary, Arielle, and Mr. Van Gundy made sure my…read morefamily and loved one was treated with the utmost kindness and respect.

While Caleb was quick to respond the morning after my dog's death, that's where the good customer…read moreservice ended. At drop off on Thursday, I was told that my sweet boy would be cremated that day and that the engraver was off thru Friday so it would be the first of the week before I could pick up Toto in his urn. Monday came and went, as did Tuesday and Wednesday morning. I called on Wednesday afternoon/Thursday morning and was told that Toto was ready, they were just waiting on the engraving and that someone would be in touch in a day or two. Friday, Saturday and Sunday passed. On Monday afternoon I reached back out and again was told that Toto was ready but that the engraving was not and that it would be a day or two and someone would call. At that point i was in tears, i explained the the lack of communication about a deceased loved one was inexcusable. Roughly an hour later i got a call saying he was ready for pickup. Caleb called about an hour after that to make sure someone had called me. My husband went to bring our sweet baby back home. Lack of communication...the fact that i did not receive an apology either from the gal in the office or Caleb, and neither did my husband...all of this things compel me to leave this crappy review. I will def be going back to Schoedinger should the need arise again to cremate a furry family member. They may be more expensive but I was treated with the utmost respect and compassion when we lost a pet a couple of years ago. Woodyard...SHAME ON YOU!!

Schoedinger Northwest

Schoedinger Northwest

(3 reviews)

This would be the second experience with Schoedinger Funeral services for our family & umpteenth…read morefor other friends that have experienced loss. I cannot express enough how clean and beautiful the location is. It has the feel of a classy & up to date facility which makes you forget that you are even in a funeral home. The staff, each and every one of them are very professional, patient, kind and above all empathetic to your every need therefore making a sometimes sad or difficult time an experience that exceptionally different allowing friends & family to experience a more than relaxing & soothing experience bearing the circumstance an experience that is wonderful & worthwhile of long lasting positive memories! Thank you to all at Schoedinger Funeral Services for allowing our friends & family the opportunity to both grieve & celebrate without lifting a finger. We we always be loyal to Schoedinger as they now feel like they are a part of our family!

I attended a viewing here for my husband's aunt. The facility is so nice. There was a patio just…read moreoff the room where the event took place in case anyone wanted some fresh air. The complementary coffee, pop, and cookies was a nice touch, and there was even a small sitting area there in the lobby away from the viewing areas. There were multiple viewings happening at the same time and a little confusion as to which guest book to sign. Overall I was impressed with this facility!

Green Lawn Cemetery - funeralservices - Updated May 2026

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