November 11, 2012

Dublin, Ohio, Veterans Park and Indian Run Cemetery


Dublin Veterans Park Grounds of Rememberance

A few years ago, the city of Dublin, Ohio, transformed a quiet spot behind historic Indian Run Cemetery into a Veterans Park. It features a Grounds of Remembrance honoring those who have served the United States in times of war and peace. Visitors walk down a Recognition Walk lined with dedication stones, some of which are inscribed with names of individual veterans from Revolutionary times to the present.

Dublin Veterans Park Recognition Walk

The park is a peaceful and inviting place. The young sycamore trees that have been planted will one day provide a shady canopy over the grounds. A POW/MIA memorial stone gives special pause, as does the POW/MIA flag flying overhead.

POW MIA memorial Dublin Veterans Park

An open-air pavilion provides a backdrop for both official ceremonies and private reflection. Inscribed on the wall is this lovely except from Concord Hymn, by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We place with joy a votive stone,
That memory may their deeds redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.
O Thou who made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free—
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raised to them and Thee.

Emerson's Concord Hymn Dublin Veterans Park

Indian Run Cemetery is one of the oldest burial grounds in Central Ohio, with the first burial dating back to 1814. Although it has been restored, a long period of prior neglect means that many stones were irreparably broken and others were lost. Stones that could not be matched with a gravesite have been set against the old dry stone border wall that surrounds the cemetery. Many members of the families that founded Dublin are buried at Indian Run. At least one Revolutionary War soldier, Nathaniel Babcock, is among them, as a modern monument attests.

Indian Run Cemetery Dublin Ohio

The design of the new memorial fits in with the historic cemetery it surrounds, with the American flag flying proudly over them both. I like the way this seems to bring history full circle.

Indian Run Cemetery Dublin Ohio


Thank you, veterans!
--Shelley

If you go: Access to the Dublin Veterans Park and Indian Run Cemetery is not particularly well marked. From the downtown Dublin intersection of Bridge St. (State Route 161) and High St. (Dublin Rd.), go north on High St. one block to Darby St. Turn left as if going to the Dublin branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Cars should continue past the library and veer right to park in the Indian Run lot. For more information, see: http://dublinohiousa.gov/parks-open-space/grounds-of-remembrance


Previous Veteran’s Day posts:

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting this, Shelley. As many times as I've visited Dublin, I wasn't aware of the cemetery, though I vaguely remember seeing a sign for "Indian Run." Never knew what that meant...

    I imagine a great big thank you is owed those who persevered in restoring this historic cemetery, too!

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    1. Jacqi, there's an Indian Run falls and Indian Run park, too, and they're accessed from the same parking lot. The cemetery was restored by the Dublin Historical Society in the late 1970's, and while they did a good job, it had been neglected for far too many years prior. If you let me know when you come next time, maybe we can visit it together!

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  2. One of the greatest testaments to our humanity is our eagerness to honor our war veterans with care and love. Stories like this one, creating a Veterans Park near a historic cemetery, make me think of all the time and expense and group decisions it must have taken to bring this about. My father was a WW II veteran, and his entire career after the war was spent working for the Veterans Administration. Veterans Day is an important occasion for our family and many, many others. Beautiful photos, Shelley.

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    Replies
    1. That's wonderful dedication on your father's part, Mariann. And you're right, things like this don't happen without a lot of cooperation and thought. Glad you enjoyed the photos--Veterans Day happened to be a beautiful one this year!

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