Calvary Cemetery Dayton, Ohio- Home

The Land Itself Has A History

Calvary Cemetery is located on land that was once know as "The Bluffs". Thought to be occupied by mound builder Native Americans who used the natural ridges and hollows as forts.

St. Henry's Cemetery Declines: Calvary Cemetery is Established

From 1874 to 1887 Dayton had two Catholic cemeteries. At Calvary, more and more people arrived by buggy and canal boat to pay their respects to the deceased, the graves were well kept and the sites were often very beautifully decorated. Meanwhile, St. Henry's was decaying. By the end of 1895 St. Henry Cemetery closed.

Calvary Grows into a Modern Cemetery

The 1930's and 40's were a difficult time for all of America. The depression had the country in upheaval and uncertainty. The Association bought a new team of horses in 1931, a new half ton Dodge dump truck in 1935 and it's first power mower in 1933 (a 1931 model). The largest purchase of land by the Calvary Association took place in 1944, 83.688 acres.

The Automobile Pass

Originally, only lot owners, and their families, were permitted to enter the cemetery grounds on a daily basis. They would be given a pass which they had to present to the gatekeeper for admittance.

Today

The extension of Patterson Boulevard into U.S. Highway 25 on land that was the entrance to the grounds was turned from an intrusion into a lasting and beautiful granite entranceway by creative thinking by the Calvary trustees. The increase in traffic would be detrimental to the sanctity of the ground if a new gate were not erected. The addition of these gates gave Calvary Cemetery the appearance it has today.

St. Henry Chapel

Frank N. Andrews designed the chapel that was dedicated on All Souls Day 1902.

The chapel was purchased with monies remaining from the sale of St. Henry Cemetery. It is dedicated to the memory of the people who were buried at St. Henry Cemetery.

The bell, which alerts cemetery personnel of an approaching funeral procession, was originally kept in a large metal tower behind the superintendent's residence and operated manually. It is now atop the chapel in an ornamental iron cradle designed by architect Frank Weis, and is controlled electronically from the cemetery office.

The Crucifixion Monument

The highest viewpoint of Calvary Cemetery received a fitting monument in 1906, using money that remained from the sale of St. Henry's, after the construction of the Chapel. The statue is bronze and rests on a base of granite imported from France. It depicts the crucifixion of Christ. The Most Reverend Henry Moeller, Archbishop of Cincinnati, was the chief celebrant in an affair as elaborate as the consecration of the cemetery itself. The May 30th event began with a street parade down Main Street Grand Marshaled by Edmund Zwiesler and involving the Germania Band, Five Catholic Knights organizations, three groups of Catholic Foresters, and six patron saint societies. The main party continued to the cemetery itself, while the societies were joined by the Hibernians on special traction cars headed for the event from the county fairgrounds.


Serving The Dayton Area Catholic Community Since 1872