Mentor Municipal Cemetery

            On November 8, 1854, 11 men met at Mentor Special School to organize a cemetery association. The Association purchased 10 acres of land north of the Special School for $400.00, to be paid in four equal payments, plus interest. On December 2, 1854, Martin Sawyer, Sellick Warren and Edward M. Ingersoll were elected trustees and James Dickey clerk of the Cemetery Association. The position of sexton was established to see that the cemetery was well-cared for. Peter Smith, Frank Call, and George Parsons all served in this capacity, but in 1911 David Quincy became sexton and served until his death in 1958. There is a monument at the sexton’s office honoring Mr. Quincy.

            Amasa Cobb, who died on March 16, 1855, was the first person buried in the new cemetery. Prior to this people were buried at a site near Mentor Center Street School and in a small cemetery on what is now King Memorial Road between the freeway bridge and Little Mountain Road on the east side. Many bodies and headstones were moved from these two cemeteries, but not all were removed from the Little Mountain site.

            Mentor cemetery contains two war memorials. The larger of the two was dedicated on September 4, 1872, and listed all Mentor volunteers in the Civil War.

            Because the names were becoming illegible, the American Legion Auxiliary, post 352, Mentor, had the names inscribed on bronze plaques, attached at eye level. There is a bronze plaque on the south side of the monument honoring the Mentorites who were killed in World War II. This plaque was made possible by the Blue Star mothers.

            At the southernmost end of the cemetery, on property that once belonged to the Mentor Special School District, is a second monument dedicated to those who died in Vietnam. A 60 foot flag pole located near this monument is dedicated to all veterans. Memorial Day services are now held at this location.

            Today the cemetery, located at the southeast corner of Jackson Street and Hopkins Road contains over 60 acres. There are two mausoleums in addition to the war memorials and the stone honoring Mr. Quincy. One of the mausoleums houses the remains of some of President Garfield’s family, Mentor’s most illustrious family.

Addendum June 2017: City of Mentor has more history of this cemetery and an online searchable "directory" of burials at http://cityofmentor.com/departments/parks-recreation/facilities/mentor-cemetery/