Trustees seek information on Oak Grove Cemetery

(by Dedra Cordle, staff writer - January 27, 2011)

Pleasant Township is asking the community to help uncover the mysteries at Oak Grove Cemetery.

Predating the 1940's, a fire ripped through the building that housed township documents, destroying many items including the ownership records from people who had purchased burial plots at the Oak Grove Cemetery.

Until now, the township had available plots to sell at the five-and-a-half acre cemetery, but due to limited space and the destroyed records, they cannot sell any more land.

At the Jan. 25 meeting, the board of trustees asked residents with any knowledge regarding burial plots purchased at the Oak Grove Cemetery over 70 years ago to contact them.

"We have to know which spaces were sold and which ones may still be available," said chairman Dale Worthington.

The trustees said this matter needs to be resolved as there are many living residents who wish to be buried next to their deceased loved ones, but did not reserve dual or multiple plots beforehand.

Complicating matters is the varying size of the old plots. Jeff Karn, the township's road department superintendent, said that standard sizes are four feet by 10 feet, but some spaces in the cemetery are up to 14 feet long.

Worthington said they are looking into buying more ground, but are limited as to what they can do at the Oak Grove location as the bottom portion of the grounds are in the flood plain and are also owned by Metro Parks.

If you have information regarding records of ownership for burial plots at Oak Grove Cemetery, located at the 8300 block on Alkire Road, contact the Pleasant Township board of trustees at 877-3511.

   

 

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