Stonewall Cemetery

Nathaniel Wilson III was part of a family of early settlers in central Ohio. By 1817, he had blocked out land for a family cemetery and, for some reason, decided to give the land to the president of the United States.

Wilson began construction on a seven-foot-high wall surrounding the cemetery in 1838, but died before he could see it completed, leaving his son, Gustin, to complete the task. The wall, erected in the shape of a dodecagon, is a marvel of masonry, with each locally-sourced stone having been perfectly cut by hand and placed without the use of mortar. 

James Monroe, who was president at the time Wilson deeded the cemetery to that office, never acknowledged the gesture, although Franklin Delano Roosevelt eventually did.

Local legend says that if one chooses to climb on top of the wall and walk around it 13 times, the ghosts of the cemetery’s inhabitants will rise up in annoyance and angrily pull the walker in.

To this day, no American president has ever visited what locals call the “President’s Cemetery,” and vandals have destroyed the grave markers contained therein. Despite the regrettable state of the site, one can still admire the construction and its associated folklore from outside the cemetery gate.