Glendale Cemetery, Akron

Glendale Cemetery is a cemetery and historic district located in Akron and was founded in 1839 by Dr. J.D. Commins. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. Here statues of prominent citizens, an avenue of stately mausoleums and a collection of headstones tell the story of Akron’s past. Originally known as Akron Rural Cemetery, Commins modeled the design of the cemetery after Boston’s Mount Auburn Cemetery, which he visited in 1838. Glendale is a picturesque romantic landscape with its curving roads, use of promontories to create vistas and a variety of architectural styles that draw upon ancient building forms. Mausoleums are modeled after Egyptian, Greek and Roman temples or Gothic churches.

Distinct sections of the cemetery are devoted to the Masons, Akron’s Jewish community and infants and children. The Civil War is prominently commemorated in Glendale Cemetery. The Buckley Post of the Union Army has a large memorial marker surrounded by 50 headstones located on the northern plateau. The 1876 Gothic Revival style Memorial Chapel was constructed by the Buckley Post and has been recently restored.