Woodland Cemetery is an old cemetery in the heart of Dayton. Brimming with trees, this cemetery was designed with visitors in mind. When it opened in the 1840’s, people were still losing loved ones to diseases which have long since been cured. Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum was created to be a pleasant atmosphere in which family could come and spend the day.

Many notable people are buried here, including:

Orville and Wilbur Wright – First to accomplish manned, powered flight.

Paul Laurence Dunbar – American poet, playwright and novelist.

Allen Cullum – local farmer, first burial at Woodland cemetery.

Lee Lynam – the first Dayton Police officer killed in the line of duty. He was shot after a man he arrested earlier that day was released, and the suspect tracked him down. The suspect was later arrested, and spent the next 10 years in prison.

Charles F. Kettering – Inventor of many things, perhaps most known for inventing the self-starter for automobiles. Namesake of our hometown, Kettering, Ohio.

Erma Bombeck – Erma is actually in an unmarked grave near the rock, not under it. After her death, Bombeck’s husband brought the rock to Ohio from near their home in Arizona, and it weighs over 29,000 pounds.

Photo credits: Sara McDaniel