Postle Family Cemetery
I drive by the location for this cemetery fairly regularly. I knew it was hidden back in the woods, but not 100% sure where to find it. According to the book Ohio Cemeteries Addendum put out by the Ohio Genealogical Society... "Stones given to family since shopping center is planned for site." Apparently, that ended up not being the case. Instead, a condo development is going in. It's called "Gabriel's Landing", appropriately after Gabriel Postle. According to local newspaper articles, the cemetery is supposed to be preserved inside a small woods and actually become a part of the housing development.
A few blocks away, near the middle school at the corner of Rome-Hilliard and Sullivant Ave, there stands an historical marker that I've copied below. The area where this cemetery is located has long been a "hangout" and "makeout" area, as used to be evidenced by all the beer cans and condom wrappers strewn about. With the condo development going in, that part seems to have been somewhat curtailed. Unfortunately, because the area was so hidden, the cemetery has all but been destroyed by vandalism. There are very few stones standing, most are overturned and buried in the ground. A group of elementary school students worked to clean up the site a number of years ago, but it has since fallen back into disrepair.
POSTLE FAMILY CEMETERY
1829-1870
There are 48 known members of the Postle family buried in the cemetery. Their stories are interwoven with the history of Prairie Township, Franklin County, and Ohio. In 1810 Shadrach and Anna Stacia Postle were among the first settlers of Prairie Township. Their son Job was a veteran of the War of 182 and later owned the Checker Inn, a popular stopping place on the National Road. In the 1860s, Smith Postle and his son William Sylvester postle were some of the first manufacturers of clay drainage tiles in Ohio. Their products improved drainage in farm fields and fostered the growth of the industry in the state.
Gabriel Postle was the first Postle buried in the cemetery in 1829. Twelve graves are of children under the age of six, which testifies to the hardships endured by the area's early residents. Other graves include those of John Whitehurst, a freed slave who lived with the family of Job Postle, and John Tracy, a veteran of the Civil War. In 1870 Nancy Postle was the last person buried in the cemetery.
DARBY WOODS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
WESTLAND AREA BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
WESTLAND AREA COMMISSION
1998 OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY 22-25
GPS Coordinates
39° 56' 34" N
83° 08' 38" W
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