{"nrhp_refnum":"88000115","name":"Harper Mausoleum and Harper, George W., Memorial Entrance","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"North Cemetery, OH 72","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cedarville","county":"Greene County","state":"OH","lat":39.75416902200004,"lon":-83.81228432999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-02-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A granite mausoleum in Egyptian Revival style and an associated memorial entrance with cast iron gates and granite monoliths, located at North Cemetery on S.R. 72 in Cedarville, Greene County, Ohio. The mausoleum is dated 1915 and was built by the George Dodds & Sons Granite Co.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the mausoleum and entrance are significant examples of early 20th century funerary architecture and landscape design that reoriented the small rural cemetery. The mausoleum reflects Egyptian-inspired funerary imagery popular after archaeological work in the Middle East. It is also a local landmark tied to banker George Harper, and its design and workmanship have wider significance through a nearly identical mausoleum in the Bronx and the work of a nationally known monument firm.","narrative":"Set on a curbed grassy mound in Cedarville's North Cemetery, the Harper Mausoleum is a roughly 20-foot cube of white granite built in 1915 in the Egyptian Revival style. Battered corner piers, columns with palm leaf capitals, a cavetto cornice with a vulture-and-sundisk relief, two lion-sized sphinxes and bronze doors with lotus grilles define its look. A tree-lined road leads from it to the George W. Harper Memorial Entrance, where ornate cast iron gates stand between massive granite monoliths topped with spheres. Harper, who founded Cedarville's first bank in 1881 and died in 1908, was a local benefactor. His widow paid $15,000 for the mausoleum, built by the Dodds granite firm of Xenia, whose work included the monument at West Point. A nearly identical mausoleum stands in the Bronx. The structure remains in excellent condition and is a local landmark maintained by the Township.","period_of_significance":"1915","architect_builder":"George Dodds & Sons Granite Co. Inc., Xenia, Ohio; Keene, New Hampshire","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revival: Egyptian Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Generally in excellent and intact condition, with minor spalling of the base and loss of the original stained glass in the rear window. Maintained by the Township.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.662376-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/88000115.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000115/6a4e086861-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000115/6a4e086861-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_W._Harper_Mausoleum_at_Cedarville.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_W._Harper_Mausoleum_at_Cedarville.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988704","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper_Mausoleum_and_George_W._Harper_Memorial_Entrance","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5663410"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/greene-county/harper-mausoleum-and-harper-george-w-memorial-entrance-88000115/"}