Categories: History

Woodland Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio, is Full of Ghosts

Woodland Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio, is one of the oldest cemeteries in the state, and one of the most famous. It is also one of the most haunted.

The Woodland Cemetery encompasses over 200 acres of land, with over 100,000 graves inside, and is still in use today. The gatehouse and crematorium are both on the National Register of Historic Places. Founded in 1841 by John Van Cleve, the cemetery was started in an area far removed from the city limits. Dayton needed a new main cemetery, but wanted one that wouldn’t interfere with the layout of the city. The original purpose of the cemetery was to provide locals with a park, as well as a cemetery. During its heyday, it wasn’t surprising to see families strolling through the cemetery, stopping only for a picnic on an unoccupied piece of land.

Woodland Cemetery is more than just a place for the dead, it is a piece of Dayton history and is the final resting place of some of the city’s brightest alumni. Orville and Wilbur Wright, the two brothers who practically invented the field of flight, are buried inside. James M. Cox, founder of the Dayton Daily News is also buried in the Cemetery. As a side note, Cox is buried on a small hill with only a plain headstone to mark his grave, while a large and elaborate mausoleum stands only a few feet away, unrelated to the Cox family. Author and humorist Erma Bombeck also calls Woodland her final resting place, with a 29,000 pound boulder her husband had shipped from Phoenix, where they lived part-time during their life together. Other “residents” include Huffy Bicycle Company founder George Huffman, Frank Patterson who died when testing a new airplane and whose name is now on the Air Force Base, and Paul Laurence Dunbar, one of the most famous African American poets in American history.

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While Woodland has its share of famous residents, some of its most famous residents refuse to stay buried. Johnny Morehouse is one such resident. During his life, Johnny’s dog was his faithful companion, following him everywhere, and staying by his side at every moment; the two were rarely apart. According to the popular legend, Johnny drowned after falling into a local canal and after his burial, the dog still refused to leave his side. After his beloved pet died, a special marker was added to the headstone to commemorate his life. To this day people still leave behind candy and toys on the headstone, even over 140 years after his death. During a visit there in August, we noticed a few stuffed animals, and dog toys left on the marker.

According to the ghost legends circulating the Cemetery, Johnny and his dog can sometimes be seen running through the cemetery, or sitting on the edge of the fence near his headstone. Some people also claim to hear barking coming from inside. In 1997, the police were called in, to investigate reports of a young boy wandering through the cemetery after closing, but nothing was ever found. According to some, breath also comes from the dog sculpture at the grave site.

The other ghost spotted in Woodland Cemetery, is that of a young college age student. The story is popular enough to have been included in a volume of the popular Chris Woodyard series of books Haunted Ohio. The girl has blond hair and blue eyes, and is always dressed in jeans, white tennis shoes, and a striped shirt. She sometimes talks to people who walk by, but disappears when they look for her later. Some people also claim that the headstone she sits on glows green or blue at certain times. The legend varies from her being seen at all times of the year, to only on certain days. The legend also says that her father is buried across the cemetery, and she was unhappy at their separation.

Woodland Cemetery is located only steps from the University of Dayton campus. That may seem hard to believe, but I can tell you it is true. While attending the University of Dayton, I lived in the Stewart Street Apartments for one year, and we designated our apartment a “smoke free zone. Every time myself or my roommate wanted a cigarette, we had to go outside to smoke. The front of the complex led to a small courtyard, but the back entrance led to a small stoop only feet from the Cemetery. You could touch the eight foot tall security fence without leaving the stoop, and you could see headstones at all times of the night. We were also “lucky” enough to have the crematorium located directly behind our apartment; we could see the smoke billow from the chimney by looking out our bedroom windows. The other side of the Cemetery is located at the end of Woodland Avenue, at the end of a street full of student houses owned by the school. I also lived in one of those houses during my years at the school. And during my first year on the campus, I also had the chance to live in the Marycrest Dorm, which overlooks Woodland.

With all the legends and stories surrounding Woodland Cemetery, I should have some great stories of my time at the University of Dayton. After all, I did spend three long years surrounded by it. Unfortunately my experiences are very limited. People claimed that you could see the young female ghost from certain spots in the dorm, but despite us looking often, we never saw her or the glowing headstone. At one point during one of our many smoke breaks, we did have a creepy experience, but it turned out to be the guys that lived directly above the stoop.