New cemetery group details digital filing, clean-up plans

WADSWORTH — A recently-formed group of volunteers has big plans for Woodlawn Cemetery, including preservation of the site's files on a new digital filing system as well as widespread effort to beautify grave sites and surrounding grounds. Friends of Woodlawn Cemetery Wadsworth held its first meeting in November and has garnered membership from local figures such as Wadsworth Historical Society President Roger Havens and genealogist Mark Watkins. The group's president, Deb Holcomb, said personal ties to the cemetery stem from having family members buried there and a general desire to make the site, located at 200 College Street, a "peaceful, educational place that's popular to take a walk through." "There's just so much history there and we want as many people as possible to know about it and come out to take a look," she said. "There are Revolutionary War veterans and so many things that tell you about the history of this community. The cemetery is a great place to learn about the entire settling of Medina County." Paper records kept in the cemetery's maintenance building will be put into a new digital filing system in the near future, Holcomb said. However, the process will be a lengthy one and possibly require research space at city hall, which is still being ironed out. The next meeting for the group is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 9 at the Wadsworth Public Library, 132 Broad St. "This will be our first project and we know it's a big one," Holcomb said. "Some of these records date back to the 1920s and 1930s and the files, where there being kept now, aren't in a good place. You have to go down a ladder to even get to them and it's just very cramped. This is the best way to preserve them for the future." Other preservation and improvement efforts being planned are the planting of new flowers at the cemetery's entrance, cleaning of brush, landscaping, and headstone repairs. Oldest portions of the cemetery, located just off College Street, were donated in 1817 by Owen Brown, father of abolitionist John Brown. That decision stemmed from the death of relative Frederick Brown's daughter, who is still buried at the cemetery. Frederick Brown was a Wadsworth judge and in 1816 purchased land two miles west of the first settlers on East-West Road. Construction of a log cabin there is credited by historians as the initial spark that led to development of downtown Wadsworth. Over ensuing years, the cemetery has grown to envelop 34 acres and is owned jointly by the City of Wadsworth and Wadsworth Township. More than 13,000 grave sites are now housed at Woodlawn. "We just noticed things were looking a bit rough and wanted to do what we could," Holcomb said. "There are some head stones that have fallen over and a lot of things that come through a simple lack of manpower. Through some research when putting all of this together, I learned just how common friends of cemetery groups are." "The cemetery superintendent does the best job he can with the resources available," she added. "But there is a pretty high turnover rate with new workers that are brought on board. For people joining our group, it can be about helping with that hands-on type of work. It doesn't have to be a decision-making position if someone doesn't want to do that." More initiatives that have been discussed include collaboration with other local groups, fundraisers, further maintenance of veteran's graves, and tagging of historic areas. To find out more information or possibly join the group, contact Holcomb at (330)927-9050. Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330)721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.