Washington Cemetery Historic District
Why it's listed
Washington Cemetery is a burial ground on the east edge of Washington Court House, Ohio, laid out in 1856 on ten acres and enlarged in 1870 with a second tract of about thirteen acres. The first tract follows a rectangular plan with a mounded center and flagpole, while the second uses winding drives and rolling ground typical of the mid-19th-century "Rural" Cemetery movement. Together the tracts hold 9,386 burials and the cemetery's most important monuments and buildings, including Judy Chapel. Soldiers Rows set aside space for Union veterans, among them thirty-six members of the United States Colored Troops buried between 1887 and 1939. The centerpiece is a three-tiered cast iron and zinc fountain, added in 1892 and made by J. W. Fiske & Co. of New York. It was moved in 1904 and again after a restoration completed in the early 2000s, then rededicated in 2005. The district was listed for its landscape design and funerary features.
Significance in brief: The two tracts show how American cemetery design changed in the mid-19th century, from a rectangular plan with a central flagpole to a curvilinear "Rural" Cemetery layout. They also hold the oldest and most historically and architecturally significant funerary structures. Notable features include Soldiers Rows for Civil War veterans, including United States Colored Troops, and an 1892 three-tiered fountain.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 06000765, listed September 6, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1741 Washington Ave., Washington Court House |
|---|---|
| County | Fayette County |
| Listed | September 6, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000765 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Fountain made by J. W. Fiske & Co. of New York; 1st Tract platted by Captain John H. Bell; 2nd Tract designer not identified (possibly Leo Weltz or Adolph Strauch) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and early 20th Century Revival |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Black, Art, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a cemetery; the fountain was restored and moved to its third location, and rededicated in 2005. |
| Acreage | 23.5 |
| Coordinates | 39.53867, -83.41661 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 06000765.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14716925
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.