St. John's Episcopal Cemetery

700 High St.

Images: (1) Cemetery; (2) Edith Griswold and Ann Bowers, c. 1900 with stables at the Township Hall visible

The cemetery at the rear of St. John's Episcopal Church was in use more than 20 years before the church was erected. Today the weathered headstones often draw people who want to make gravestone rubbings and who want to reflect on the history of Worthington.

The first burial was that of Abner Pinney, a Scioto Company member who died November 23, 1804, soon after arriving from Connecticut. From 1805-1824 this graveyard served not just the Episcopal Church but the whole community. Many members of the original families are buried here.

There are 317 burials recorded on surviving tombstones and in George Griswold's sexton records for 1824-1843. The records include travelers who were temporarily in Worthington, and they confirm that early African-American residents of the community were buried here. The last burial was Charles E. Burr who died on August 7, 1882. A columbarium wall for cremated remains was built along the north and east boundaries in 1978.

As you visit the cemetery, look for the headstones of early Worthington citizens, including James Kilbourn and several of his family members, Griswolds, Pinneys, and Cases.