When Bill was here mid-August we took a trip to Woodlawn Cemetery in Toledo, OH. I want to give you some history of this cemetery.
In 1876 a group of Toledo businessmen founded Historic Woodlawn cemetery. At that time Woodlawn was a rural country cemetery covering 160 acres and located outside the Toledo city limits. (Today the
Toledo city limits go far beyond Woodlawn).
Around the turn of the century Woodlawn became the cemetery of choice for many prominent civic, professional and industrial leaders in the Toledo community. The elaborate monuments and private mausoleums erected by these families enhance the natural beauty of Woodlawn.
Historic Woodlawn Cemetery is one of the region's more treasured arboretums with over 150 species of trees.
Woodlawn Cemetery also hosted the first motorized funeral procession in 1911. About a year later the first automobile hearse was introduced to this cemetery.
There were two reasons for visiting Woodlawn. 1. I knew Bill would enjoy the monuments and the beautiful grounds. 2. My mother, Gertrude Rickley Ackland's ashes were scattered here in June, 1982. My dear sister, Joan Beth Ackland, donated her body to University of Toledo Medical Center. The bodies are later cremated and Joan's ashes also rested at Woodlawn in 2012.
I took some pictures and want to share them with you.
TIEDTKE FAMILY
Two brothers, Charles and Ernest, opened a grocery store in 1893.
Later it was expanded into a department store known as
Tiedtke's Department store. One of the things we all remember
about Tiedtke's was the huge ring of cheese they had
at Christmas time. When I was working @ Ohio Bell in downtown
Toledo, Tiedtke's was open.
Bill is approaching the 4-sided pyramid monument of John Gunckel.
He was the founder and life president of Toledo Newsboys'
Association, an organization dedicated to taking care of boys of the streets
and making certain they grew up to be responsible adults.
The pyramid is made of stones donated by the children.
(At the front of the pyramid there was a wreath of flowers. I
was surprised to note that the flowers were fresh.)
This is an obelisk marking the Stevens Warren Flower plot. Stephen Flowers
moved to Toledo after serving in the Civil War. He invested in the Reynolds
Flour Mill and renamed it S.W. Flower and Co.
(Interesting words here - flour and Flower).
He donated the land for a hospital, which became known as Flower Hospital.
He has been called "one of Toledo's noblest citizens".
(Sometime around 1975, Flower Hospital was moved from Toledo
to Harroun Road in Sylvania, OH. I remember
the procession of ambulances coming down the expressway, getting
off at the Sylvania exit and making their way to the new hospital.
There were police cars halting traffic all the way from???
I went to the Google to find the old address and couldn't find anything.
I only know it was in Toledo.)
This is the plaque for all those who donated their bodies to
UTMC. The words say, "Here is the place where
death enjoys helping life". Someone planted the flowers at the foot of the marker.
Here is where Joan's ashes were buried.
We found out, from the lady in the office, that my mother's ashes were
scattered on the lake in Woodlawn. I thought that was appropriate.
Mom's sister, Charlotte, had a cottage in Michigan and my mother spent
many weeks there with Charlotte and their other sisters. Mom liked the water!
This is an unusual monument of a granite replica of the easy chair
that Bessie Ludwig sat in most of the last 25 years of her life.
She slept sitting up for she feared that if she laid down,
she would never get up again. I tried to find out who Bessie Ludwig
was and was unsuccessful. Look at how HUGE this monument is!
This is a better picture of the chair.
This is a shot of part of the lake @ Woodlawn where Mom's ashes were scattered.
The Conservatory Chapel was the first building on Woodlawn's grounds
and was dedicated in 1883. Originally, the chapel's lower level (called
the vault) was designed to shelter bodies over the winter months when,
before mechanized equipment was available, graves could not be opened due
to the frozen ground. In 1923, when the vault capacity was no
longer needed, one of Ohio's first crematories was installed in the
lower level of the chapel. This crematory operated
until 1944 and was shut down when a new crematory operation
was built at another location on Woodlawn's property.
Current plans are to restore the chapel.
Here's Judi sitting on the approach to the Spitzer mausoleum.
As co-founder of Spitzer, Rorick & Co., Ceilan Milo Spitzer was a
prominent merchant and banker. With a cousin as a partner, they were the first
firm west of NYC to engage in the buying and selling of bonds.
Toledo's first fireproof steel office building was erected in 1893
by the Spitzer Building Company. (When I hear the name "Spitzer"
I am reminded of the Spitzer Arcade, an enclosed walkway from the street
into one of the department stores. The walkway was lined with small shops,
the first enclosed "mall")!
Much of what is recorded here I copied from the brochure
given to us at the office @ Woodlawn Cemetery.
