Historic Woodlawn Cemetery

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Toledo, OH
Historic Woodlawn Cemetery

We are the final resting place for 88,000 individuals. Tons of Nature and History Programs too!

09/10/2026

For 150 years, Woodlawn has been a place of remembrance, history, nature, and community—a sacred landscape where generations have honored the people they love.

Join us for a special anniversary celebration featuring on October 8, 2026, from 5:30 – 7:00 PM. Our celebration will include:

🎂 Anniversary cake cutting & refreshments
📖 Stories from our wonderful docents and community
🌿 A self-guided stroll through Woodlawn’s history and natural beauty
💭 An opportunity to share your own memories and stories

Hear a story. Tell a story. Share a memory. Bring your family and friends and make a new one together.

For 150 years, generations have visited, remembered, cared for, and carried Woodlawn’s stories forward.

Woodlawn is more than a cemetery. It’s part of who we are.

Come celebrate 150 years of remembrance, reflection, history, nature, and community.

09/07/2026

Our office is closed today in observance of Labor Day. The grounds remain open and our gates will be accessible during normal hours.

09/05/2026

If you’ve ever visited Toledo Botanical Garden, you’ve experienced the legacy of a Toledo businessman who believed in giving back to his community.

George P. Crosby built a successful career in Toledo real estate. He began working for E. H. Close before eventually opening his own real estate company with his brother, Howard.

Crosby died in 1963 and his will left 20 acres of his Adams Township property to Toledo to be developed as a public park. After annexation, the city added more land, and in 1964 Crosby Gardens was created.
Crosby had already planted hundreds of trees and shrubs on the property, laying the groundwork for what would become Toledo Botanical Garden.

Today, his name lives on through the Crosby Festival of the Arts, continuing a Toledo tradition rooted in one man's generosity.

He is buried in section 40.

08/29/2026

LeMaxie Glover (1916–1984) was a pioneering Toledo sculptor, educator, and community leader whose journey into art began after years working for the New York Central Railroad. Born in Georgia and raised in Toledo, Glover graduated from Libbey High School before earning a Bachelor of Education from the University of Toledo in 1954. A year later, he earned an MFA in sculpture from the prestigious Cranbrook Academy of Art, where he was among the first three Black artists to study and became Cranbrook’s first Black faculty member. Despite opportunities elsewhere, Glover returned to Toledo in 1956, choosing to invest his talents in the community that had helped shape him.

For 25 years, Glover taught art in Toledo Public Schools, first at Woodward High School and later at Scott High School, inspiring generations of students while building his own reputation as a sculptor working in wood, bronze, stone, terra cotta, and marble. His work was exhibited at the Toledo Museum of Art and institutions throughout the Midwest, while his sculptures remain in Toledo-area schools, public spaces, churches, and private collections. He also served on the Toledo Museum of Art’s Minority Advisory Committee and was the first recipient of the Confederation of Black Artists Award in 1973. Glover died in 1984 at age 67. He is buried in section 32.

08/22/2026

Did you know one of Toledo’s most influential civic leaders helped shape the city, and even served a U.S. president?

A proud graduate of Toledo High School and president of the Class of 1881, Charles A. Cottrill dedicated his life to public service and community leadership. From serving in key Lucas County offices to leading Toledo’s NAACP chapter, his impact reached far beyond Northwest Ohio. In 1911, President William Howard Taft appointed him as Collector of Revenue in Honolulu, a role he held for four years before returning home to open a real estate office in Toledo’s Nicholas Building.

When he died at just 60 years old, Cottrill was also recognized as Toledo’s only African American 33rd Degree Mason, a testament to a life defined by leadership, service, and lasting influence.

He is buried in section 41.

08/21/2026

🌳 Don’t miss our final tree walk of this season on Tuesday, Sept. 1 from 6-7 pm! This is the last monthly tree tour of the season.

With more than 100 species of trees at Woodlawn, telling them apart can be tricky, but knowing what to look for makes all the difference!

Join Amy Stone for a walk focused on the subtle yet easy-to-spot clues that can help you identify trees with confidence. You’ll also learn how to diagnose some common (and maybe not-so-common!) tree problems and discover which issues need immediate attention versus those that are simply cosmetic and won’t compromise a tree’s health.

Come sharpen your tree identification skills, learn something new, and enjoy the beauty of Woodlawn’s trees before the season comes to a close!

Meet at the Hillcrest entrance indicated on the map in the second photo.

08/17/2026

Join us for our August Evening Stroll on Thursday, August 20 from 6:00 pm-7:00 pm as docent Robyn Hage guides us on a thoughtful journey through Woodlawn's memorial art. Together, we'll discover the hidden meanings behind these remarkable monuments and gain a deeper appreciation for the stories, traditions, and lives they continue to honor.

Come walk among history, uncover the language of remembrance, and experience the beauty and symbolism that make Woodlawn a place of reflection, learning, and lasting legacy.

Please plan to meet at the main gate on 1502 West Central Ave. Reservations not required.

08/15/2026

Long before Kobacker Hall and the Kobacker Center became familiar names in northwest Ohio, Marvin Kobacker was a Toledo businessman who believed that giving back was part of being a good citizen. He was born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania and earned degrees from the University of Michigan and Harvard. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy. His father purchased Tiedtke's department store in 1925. He managed the store and became president in 1952. The stores were sold in 1961, when he then devoted much of his time to Toledo’s civic and cultural life, serving as president of organizations including the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, and Community Chest.

Kobacker’s influence can still be seen across the Toledo area. His philanthropy supported the arts, education, mental health, Jewish organizations, and interfaith cooperation. He gave $300,000 toward Bowling Green State University’s performing arts center, where Kobacker Hall bears his name, and $1.2 million to establish the Kobacker Center at the Medical College of Ohio for children with emotional difficulties. He also founded the Toledo Jewish Community Foundation and the Kobacker Institute, promoting understanding among people of different faiths.

He died in 1993 and is buried in section 26.

08/08/2026

Walter Franklin Snyder was a pioneer in modern public health whose work helped shape sanitation standards across the United States and beyond. Raised in Toledo, Ohio, Snyder began his public health career with the Toledo Department of Health before moving to Ann Arbor in the early 1940s. There, he joined the University of Michigan School of Public Health and became one of the founders and first executive director of the National Sanitation Foundation (now NSF International). He championed a groundbreaking partnership among government, industry, and public health professionals to create science-based standards that continue to protect food, drinking water, consumer products, and public health worldwide.

Snyder's influence is still felt today through NSF International's global leadership in standards development, product testing, and certification. His remarkable contributions are also honored through the Walter F. Snyder Award for Achievement in Attaining Environmental Quality, presented annually by the National Environmental Health Association and NSF International to recognize individuals whose outstanding work has advanced environmental quality and public health.

He died in 1965 and is buried in section 35.

Address

1502 W Central Avenue
Toledo, OH
43606

Telephone

(419) 472-2186

Website

http://www.historic-woodlawn.com/

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