West Lawn Cemetery
Encyclopedia
West Lawn Cemetery is in Canton, Ohio
adjacent to the McKinley National Memorial. It was the original resting place of William McKinley
until his memorial was built, and has graves of other notable Cantonians.
The first burial was January 1, 1861, and tens of thousands have occurred since. The cemetery is now 67 acres, and is still active. The Canton Cemetery Association, a non-sectarian non-profit organization with volunteer board of trustees and paid staff, manages and owns West Lawn, as well as North Lawn in another part of the city.
The Cemetery is located between 4th and 12th St. NW and between the McKinley Memorial and Interstate 77
. 40°48′31"N 81°23′48"W
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
adjacent to the McKinley National Memorial. It was the original resting place of William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
until his memorial was built, and has graves of other notable Cantonians.
History
Bezaleel Wells, Canton's founder, set aside the Plum Street Cemetery at 6th Street SW at Plum Street (now McKinley Ave) when he laid out the town in 1805. The town grew, and the cemetery was encircled by development. On March 19, 1859, leading citizens formed the Canton Cemetery Association, pledging $50.00 each to purchase land for a graveyard. Originally called the Canton Cemetery, its name was changed to West Lawn when it was incorporated in 1861.The first burial was January 1, 1861, and tens of thousands have occurred since. The cemetery is now 67 acres, and is still active. The Canton Cemetery Association, a non-sectarian non-profit organization with volunteer board of trustees and paid staff, manages and owns West Lawn, as well as North Lawn in another part of the city.
The Cemetery is located between 4th and 12th St. NW and between the McKinley Memorial and Interstate 77
Interstate 77
Interstate 77 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the old U.S...
. 40°48′31"N 81°23′48"W