The Union Cemetery Association was founded in 1929 by the Village of Olmsted Falls, the Village of Westview and Olmsted Township. Each community selected one representative and agreed to contribute equally to secure maintenance and upkeep of an existing cemetery in the Village of Olmsted Falls. In 1970 the Village of Olmsted Falls and the Village of Westview merged to become the City of Olmsted Falls.
The Old Chestnut Grove Cemetery is located on Chestnut Grove Drive in Olmsted Falls and the New Chestnut Grove Cemetery is located on Lewis Road, north of Bagley.
The Union Cemetery Association operates under authority granted by the Ohio Revised Code Section 759. The annual meeting is held on the first Tuesday in May at Olmsted Falls City Hall. Quarterly working meetings are held in January, April, July and October.
The Cemetery Board of Trustees set policy, pays bills, authorize work, maintain and operate both cemeteries. Operating revenues for the Cemeteries are secured by a 2/10th-mill levy on all real estate property in Olmsted Falls and Olmsted Township, as well as the sales of plots and the internments therein. A copy of the Chestnut Grove Cemetery Policies and Procedures is available upon request. Please contact Dan Hill at 440-235-1400 to request this information.
This site is actually located within the Old Chestnut Grove Cemetery in Olmsted Falls. The story, as widely circulated among various ghost websites by anonymous sources, goes something like this: A woman accused of witchcraft was executed and buried at this cemetery. The townsfolk did not erect a marker, but instead built an iron fence around her grave, which was next to an old tree. An indentation next to the tree inside the fence marks her grave. "Bad things" will happen to those who get close to her grave.
Another variation of the story has several witches executed and buried here, and their ghosts continue to haunt this area. That this location is sometimes referred to as a "hill" and not as a cemetery can be due to the fact that the cemetery itself sits on top of ledge overlooking the Rocky River and connecting park below.
The Upper Midwest Ghost Society provides a more detailed, colorful version: the accused witch was hung from a tree and buried near the base of its trunk, in the very spot where her body was dropped from the noose. Nasty.
After visiting the place, it is not surprising that Old Chestnut Grove Cemetery is said to be haunted. It is surrounded by woods, the various old trees cast many shadows, and the layout itself is a bit unusual. We even found a skeleton of a large animal (raccoon? skunk?) on top of a grave that the groundskeeper somehow missed for some time. In the back portion of the cemetery, graves could be found deep in the woods and in a hidden hollow down a steep hill, which then connects to a park hiking trail! It is also said "strange lights" can be seen at night in this part of the cemetery.
The "witch's grave" was very difficult to find. There is no longer a "fence that surrounds a tree," where the grave is allegedly located. Quite by accident, we did find a tree at the edge of the cemetery surrounded by square stone blocks. Upon closer examination, those blocks contained metal spikes in the center, strongly suggesting that a fence once existed here.
The remains of the fence can be seen along the front and right sides of the tree. Also visible is a small indentation in front of the large tree trunk. Is this the site of an old, sunken grave?
