The Graveyard

The West Richfield Cemetery on Broadview Rd is just outside of the camp boundaries, an excellent nearby destination for campers interested in history. 

Points of interest:

Directions: Hike out of camp onto Broadview Rd.  (Or you can drive out and park at Giant Eagle.)  Turn right.  Cross the road at the Sikh Temple, one eigth of a mile south of the camp. 

You are now in front of the West Richfield Cemetery. 
From the sidewalk, there is a flagstone path. 
Take it until it ends at a small rise.  You are standing under a large maple tree on a flat surface. 
This rise was the site of the crypt and hearse house. 
Now sit down with your troop all around you and tell all the ghost stories you want in this very appropriate setting.
When you are done, proceed back to camp and shut the gate behind you. No ghosts or other beasties can follow you back in.

If you want, the stories can be historical instead of supernatural, which I shall provide for you. 

The word "crypt" means "hidden".  In winter, when the ground was too frozen too dig graves, the bodies were stored on shelves in the crypt.  As soon as the ground warmed up again in the spring, all the winter graves would be dug.  The tree called "service berry" is named because its early blossoming time heralded a ground warm enough for the proper burials and graveside services.

Being near the center of town as it is, there are plenty of times when people took shortcuts through the graveyard at night.  No one ever encountered a ghost, but plenty of people encountered open graves by falling into them. 

Richfield historian Bill Ellis wrote this essay on "The Rise & Fall of the Hearse House":

"Prior to 1852 here in Richfield, there must have been some sad or unpleasant expirience concerning "proper and fitten" burial for some of Richfield's families.  In any event, something happened whereby some of Richfield's ladies decided all families and individuals should have a hearse available, at no cost, to any Richfield resident when "The Graet Speckled Bird" came calling. 

"To that end, in 1852, several Richfield ladies formed the "Hearse Society" for the purpose of purchasing a hearse and grave digging equipment for use by town residents, at no cost.  Very likely some of the ladies thought a farm wagon was not a proper vehicle for transporting their loved ones to the burying ground.

"The ladies of the Hearse Society went from door to door seeking donations from town residents to build up a fund to purchase "proper funeral equipment".  After collecting sufficient funds, the ladies ordered a hearse, to be built by a local carriage maker, then petitioned the Township Trustees to to accept the equipment, maintain it, and make it available to any resident in the community at no cost. .................."

......72 names are then listed: the contributors, who gave amounts ranging from 25 cents to two dollars; for a total of $50.00 ...... "

The following letter was sent on April 5, 1852: 

'The undersigned committee of the Hearse Society, having solicited labor and funds for the purchase of a suitable hearse for the use of citizens of the township without regard to sect or condition, who may need or desire the same to perform the last rites of respect to the dead.  The subscription not having been so large as we would have wished, yet sufficient has been raised to purchase a very respectable carriage which is nearly finished, and the undersigned would respectfully present to the care and keeping of the township trustees for the free use of all citizens as stated.  Therefore being desirous to relieve we ladies of further care of the hearse, we have come to the conclusion that care of said hearse would more properly be entrusted to the township trustees than to any one individual, and hereby present same on condition that you will accept the trust as stated.' signed, Emily Oviatt, Pauline Wood, and Nancy Thomas

"The trust was accepted as stated by Samuel Brown, Uri Oviatt, Hiram Wheeler.

"The Hearse House was built in the summer of 1852 by James Clark on contract made with the township trustees for the sum of $39.75, including the painting.  Eight years later, the trustees appointed Sheldon Phillips as the Keeper of the Hearse House and fixtures for one year.  Seven years after that, The Hearse House was sold at auction to the directors of the High School for a woodshed.  Price: $15.00

Richfield's other graveyard is 1.7 miles from camp on Brecksville road, one half mile north of Rt 303.  It is named Fairview Cemetery for the tall hill that rises behind the front wall.  Here lie Salmon & Mary Oviatt (Mason's parents), Walter Kirby (Jim's brother), and the four children of John and Maryann Brown that Fanny Oviatt tended.

Ghost Stories

The Rise & Fall of the Hearse House is pretty tame. Now we shall move on to one that is truly eerie.  This account is copied from a late 1800's history of Ohio, which can be accessed at www.heritagepursuit.com/medina. It happened in the nearby town of Hinkley.  "Two remarkable events occured in the early days of the township have been preserved for the record.  [The second was the Great Hinckley Hunt.]  The first was the hanging of an Indian squaw in the summer of 1806.  She had been accused of witchcraft in predicting that darkness would overcome the earth.  Her prophecy caused alarm among the tribe and a council was called.  It was decided that she should suffer death by strangulation by having invoked the powers of the evil one.  Accordingly, she was hung in the month of May, 1806, on the limb of a large tree that had fallen across the river bed on a ledge near Big Bend, on the Granger line, amidst the chant and howling of the savages.  It is said that several white men were instrumental in her execution.  The body was left swinging to the tree, and remained there as a warning, and as carrion for the vultures of the air to feed upon, until it finally dropped into the river below.  In the month of June following the tragic death of the Indian prophetess, a total eclipse of the sun took place.  It is not known how the squaw got her information of the astronomical phenomenon that was to occur, but it was probably based on premonitions induced by events of a similar kind, which had always been looked upon by the Indians with a sort of mystical terror."

I have been unsuccessful in finding any ghosts in camp, although some people claim to have seen furniture moving around by itself.  Lorraine Baughman found a website that mentioned a female ghost who stands on the lower dam and screams.  However, if you surf around that site, much of the ghost sightings appear to be suspiciously similar to each other.