I played in a cemetery when I was a kid. My friends and I were respectful of the graves while we played house claiming different plots as our “homes.” Loved it. So when I had the opportunity to go on a tour of Woodland Cemetery in Dayton, OH, I jumped at it.
This cemetery has as much beauty as history. Among many other famous folks buried there are Erma Bombeck, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and the Wright brothers. That alone makes this a really interesting place. It also has around 3,000 trees and 165 specimens of woody plants. Oh, and it is considered one of the most haunted places in Dayton.
The theme of the tour was History, Mystery, Murder, and Mayhem. We heard about all sorts of people from inventors to murderers to robbers. The coolest thing was learning about people I hadn’t heard of before.
Who else is buried at Woodland Cemetery?
Rev. Lorennzo Lorraine Lanstroth, the father of modern beekeeping, is buried here. He lived in the 1800s and more than a century later, his beekeeping methods are still in use.
Near his burial site is the grave of Elizabeth Richter — Queen of Dayton’s Red Light District back in the day. She may have been a madam, but apparently she was very good to the girls in her employment. She helped them open bank accounts and even bought them houses if they got married. Richter also made sure others treated her girls well and would not tolerate crass behavior in front of them.
Later on the tour, we saw the grave of Marguerite “Maggie” Doane. She was a rodeo rider and that alone makes her pretty cool. In her early twenties, she was dared to ride “Gentile Annie.” As you might guess, Annie was not gentle. Maggie stayed on a few seconds before being thrown off and crushed. Then the horse stepped on her face, crushing her skull. It is said Maggie managed to stay conscious long enough to say, “Well, I rode her.”
If you ever get a chance to tour Woodland Cemetery, I highly recommend it. Not where you can easily get to Dayton? Check your local area to see if something similar is near you. Who knows what interesting characters you might unearth (not literally, please 😁).
