"Abandoned Floral Hills Cemetery back up for auction. Loved ones hope buyer can be found." - By Sheridan Hendrix - "The Columbus Dispatch" - November 8, 2021

Thanking Sheridan Hendrix of the "The Columbus Dispatch" for again providing in-depth reporting of the historical events and current conditions that have led up to the upcoming auction tomorrow, November 9, 2021, for ownership of the Floral Hills Memory Gardens in Circleville, Walnut Township, Pickaway County, Ohio. 

 The importance of bringing a greater awareness to the public about the plight of an Active cemetery like Floral Hills Memory Gardens in Circleville simply cannot be stressed enough.  To know that it has been left "in limbo" for almost a decade should both alarm and remind us that such a sad situation could potentially happen to other Ohio cemeteries.

We can see the need for further examination to answer such questions as how does an Active cemetery become stranded without an owner who is properly caring for it occur in the first place?  Why have legal safeguards not been put in place within the Ohio Revised Codes that would prevent such a tragedy from happening?  

Any cemetery can go from one of concern to one in crisis in a relatively short period of time if problems  affecting it persist.  Cemeteries are sacred spaces deserving our respect and ongoing good care. 

So, please take out a few moments of time to read this spotlight story to gain a greater grasp of the specific issues. 

Thanking all of the volunteers who have stepped up to meet the needs of the Floral Hills Memory Gardens in Pickaway County as they live in hope for the future.  May this once vibrant cemetery be granted a change of course for the better to come soon. It deserves nothing less.  

Floral Hills Memory Gardens in Walnut Township, Pickaway County, Ohio will be included in Auditor's Forfeited Land Sales - Tuesday - November 9, 2021 - 10:30a.m.

 The Pickaway County, Ohio Auditor's website has posted an announcement of its upcoming "Auditor's Forfeited Land Sales.":

"Notice of Auditor’s Forfeited Land Sales"

"The lands, lots, and parts of lots, in the County of Pickaway, forfeited to the state for the nonpayment of taxes, together with the taxes, assessments, charges, penalties, interest, and costs charged on them, agreeably to law, will be offered in an Auditor’s Sale on November 9, 2021, beginning at 10:30 am at the Pickaway County Courthouse, 207 S. Court St., Circleville, OH 43113. "

(Courthouse phone number:
 740-474-6026)  

Clink on the link below for the list of properties that will be offered for sale.:

 Notice of Auditor's Forfeited Land Sales

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Please Note Parcel Numbers - Floral Hills Memory Gardens.:
M30-0-004-00-033-02
M30-0-004-00-037-00
M30-0-004-00-038-00
M30-0-004-00-039-00
M30-0-004-00-048-00

 *****

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Auditor's Map below:

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There are 1,250 memorials for Floral Hills Memory Gardens on "Find A Grave."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Previous posts on this blog have been devoted to Pickaway County Sheriff Sales (June 30, and July 21, 2020) where Floral Hills Memory Gardens in Walnut Township, Pickaway County, was scheduled to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.  

Sadly, there were no bids made in either auction for the cemetery, so now the five parcels of land included for Floral Hills Memory Gardens will once again be part of a land sale with the hope that this cemetery, listed as owned by the State of Ohio, will be sold.

Previous Post on Preserving Ohio’s Cemeteries and Exploring Almost Forgotten Gravesites in the Great State of Ohio.:

https://limesstones.blogspot.com/2020/06/its-try-and-maybe-try-again-in.html#more

And,

https://limesstones.blogspot.com/2019/10/floral-hills-memory-gardens-at-both.html

Coshocton County, Ohio W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps have been added to the right side bar of the blog.

The collection of W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps for Coshocton County, Ohio have been added to the right side bar on the blog.  

These map images were converted from the .PDF format into .JPG format (picture format) from the website of the Coshocton County Engineer's Office.  

The Coshocton County cemeteries locator map, showing the names of the townships, enables the viewer to "hover" over the tiny black cross symbols and click on them to see the cemetery names. Clicking on an arrow brings up the maps. 

See example below.:

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Once again, as is customary with other Ohio county W.P.A. Cemetery Plat map collections on Flickr, the arrangement is set up alphabetically by township name and cemetery name.

The map pages in the Coshocton County collection do not have page numbers.  

A few map images are essentially numbered burial plot drawings created for surveys.

See example below dated October 1, 2012.:

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Please note, various township cemetery plat maps have the listing of veterans names and the designated numbers for the wars they served in, however, the actual burial locations are not given.  Some other maps have only partial burial locations provided for veterans.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Additionally, for West Lawn Cemetery in Oxford Township, Coshocton County, it is owned and managed by the Village of Newcomerstown in Tuscarawas County.  These map images are in a darkened but readable condition.  Traced and drawn during June - July, 1939 by Mr. John A. Limbaugh, the West Lawn Cemetery map sections are in multiple pages; some containing veterans names.:

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In conclusion, Coshocton County's W.P.A. Cemetery maps collection includes what I feel is among the most outstanding looking cemetery maps that I have seen thus far in any county.  

It includes the veterans names, war number designations, burial locations, and is easy to read! 

It is for the Plainfield Cemetery in Linton Township.: 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Here is a link to the Coshocton County Cemeteries as they exist on Find A Grave.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~