WHAT WE ARE…  Grove Cemetery is a Union Cemetery as defined by the Ohio Revised Code.  The cemetery is comprised of the City of Kenton, Buck Township, Goshen Township and Pleasant Township.  The Grove Cemetery Board is made up of one representative from each of these political subdivisions.  Three of the representatives are board trustees serving staggered three year terms and the fourth representative is a non-voting chairman.  The chairmanship is rotated among the representatives on an annual basis.  Meetings are generally held on the first Tuesday of the month at 5:00pm in the conference room of the cemetery office building but are subject to change.  Check the Kenton Times Civic Calendar or listen to WKTN Radio for meeting changes.

WHERE WE GET OUR FUNDING… Monies to operate and maintain Grove Cemetery are derived from several sources, the two largest being fees charged and taxes collected on behalf of the cemetery by the city and townships.  While Grove Cemetery is a political subdivision of the state, the cemetery has no taxing authority and depends on each member entity passing levies on its behalf.  Fees for grave sales and services provided are two tiered providing a lower fee for residents and/or land owners of the four taxing districts.  Non-residents pay a higher fee because they are not contributing tax dollars to the cemetery operation.

WHO WE ARE… The current representatives to the Grove Cemetery Board are Jason Fulton (Buck Township), Tye Sherman (Goshen Township), Ron Rogers (Pleasant Township) and Steve Walter (City of Kenton).  The board hired Fiscal Officer is Roger Crowe.

The Board employs several individuals to perform the day to day operations of the cemetery.  The Superintendent is Jerry Haudenschield and the Grounds Superintendent is Luke Brant.  The number of additional workers varies with the season.  Summer youth program workers are utilized in the summer months to assist with trimming and projects around the cemetery.

HOW WE ARE REGULATED… The cemetery is governed by the Grove Cemetery Board and implements rules and regulations as necessary.  The cemetery is required to operate within the guidelines of the Ohio Revised Code and is licensed by the Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Real Estate.

HOW BIG ARE WE… Grove Cemetery encompasses over 77 acres including approximately 15 acres of undeveloped farm ground near the former Hardin Central School site.  In addition, St Mary’s Cemetery currently occupies 5 acres with an additional 5 acres of farm ground available for future use.  St. Mary’s Cemetery is owned and controlled by the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church of Kenton.  Grove Cemetery provides day to day maintenance of St Mary’s and conducts all of the interments there.

There are four areas of Grove Cemetery dedicated to the burial of veterans only.  In addition to these veterans’ areas, there are two Medal of Honor recipients buried in Grove Cemetery along with many other local historical figures including General James Robinson.  The Medal of Honor recipients are Jacob Parrott (located across drive from the Lawson Mausoleum) and Delano Morey (located in northwest corner of cemetery).

The large mausoleum that was located along Jacob Parrott Blvd on the northern edge of the cemetery has been removed and the bodies reinterred in the area in front of the former building.  It was built and operated by a now defunct private corporation called the Grove Cemetery Mausoleum Association.